Lincoln City defender MJ Kamara has been shortlisted for Young Player of the Year for his spell with Glentoran in the Northern Ireland Premier League.
MJ has had a breakout season, struggling for matches until late autumn. His first NIFL start came on December 6th, but since then, he has not looked back. He’s completed more than 2000 minutes as his side battled to third in the table, chipping in with three goals and an assist.
This weekend, he came up against Zane Okoro, fouling his teammate to give away a penalty, but it was a rare blot in his copybook. He’s generally been getting rave reviews for his power, pace and aerial domination: he’s won 65% of his aerial duels in the NIFL this season.
He is one of five Glentoran stars nominated for an award, and will go up against Crusaders duo Fraser Bryden and Josh Williamson on May 3rd.
Ranking top five for aerial duels from Under 21 players in the division, and the same for shots blocked, he’s been a key figure in his side’s push for a European place. They ultimately lost out by finishing second in the table, but could still slide in the back door if Coleraine beat Dungannon Swifts in the cup final next weekend.
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Four Glentoran players across the men’s and women’s teams have been nominated for Player and Young Player of the Year, whilst Declan Devine has been nominated for Manager of the Year atโฆ pic.twitter.com/ZfLDSvvs4V
โ Glentoran FC (@Glentoran) April 27, 2026
MJ is one of the brightest young defenders to emerge from Lincoln Cityโs academy in the last couple of seasons. Having developed with Bromley before joining the Imps at U16 level, he signed his first professional deal in February 2023, aged just 17, tying his future to Sincil Bank on a long-term contract.
His first exposure to senior football came in non-league. A season-long loan with Barwell in 2023โ24 gave him regular competitive minutes, where he clocked up 30 league appearances and scored twice. In August 2024, he stepped up to National League North with Peterborough Sports, where his maturity was again evident. Despite spending most of the season away, Kamson-Kamara made his Lincoln City first-team debut in October 2024, coming off the bench in an EFL Trophy tie against Grimsby Town.
That appearance underlined his steady progression, and after returning to Peterborough Sports in March 2025 to finish the campaign, he was sent on loan to Glentoran at the start of 2025โ26, a loan that can be deemed as a significant success.
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