One thing that could derail the Imps’ promotion push this season is injuries.
It’s happened before, 2020/21 saw us lose Jorge Grant, Liam Bridcutt and Tom Hopper, and look a shadow of ourselves. This season, we feel quite well stocked, but with Freddie Draper still out, the last thing anyone wanted to see was Jack Moylan limping off against Blackpool this weekend.
Technically, we didn’t. He went off, but there wasn’t a lot of limping, and he was out on his feet after the game, applauding fans. Once again, he’d been excellent, and he’s been a key part of our surge up the table. Is it any coincidence that he made his first start after his early-season injury against Port Vale, the first match of this unbeaten league run?
The official club broadcast post-match didn’t make reference to Moylan’s injury, and we’ve heard nothing new since, but BBC Radio Lincolnshire did broach the subject after the game. Michael Skubala said Jack had a dead leg, and they can be unpredictable.
“He got a dead leg,” said the best coach in League One. “So, we just need to see that. Those can be a few days. Those can be weeks.”
Jack did emerge for the second half, only to go down quite early, which Michael also explained.
“To be fair to him, he tried it second half, and within five minutes, we knew he was going to struggle.”
His input in the first period was telling. One run when he skinned Jordan Brown and slid into Ben House really stood out, but he was his usual energetic self. As well as being a flair player, he’s also described as ‘tough’ by Michael, who suggested he could be back quite quickly.
“He was great again. I thought first half, he looked so good again. He was driving with the ball, getting up the pitch. So yeah, we’ll patch him up. And he’s a tough kid. So I think he’ll be back.”
A dead leg is a result of direct impact during a challenge, which can lead to internal bleeding within the muscle. In this instance, that was Jack Moylan sandwiched between Tom Bloxham and Ashley Fletcher.
Initial treatment focuses on the RICE (rest, ice, compression and elevation) method to limit swelling and manage discomfort. While milder cases can settle within a few days, more significant bruising can take several weeks to fully resolve, depending on the severity of the internal damage.
It’s still unclear whether he’ll be fit for Cardiff or not, but if he isn’t, the nature of the injury does suggest we’re talking days, not weeks, for a recovery. We’ll need the lockpicking skills of the Irish magician to open the stoic defences of Rotherham, Wimbledon and Orient when they come to the Bank hunting a point later in the season.
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