It’s been some season, with Lincoln City keeper George Wickens claiming the Golden Glove yesterday to add to the awards and accolades pouring into the Bank.
Sharing the award with Filip Marschall, Wickens kept 19 clean sheets in total, matching Lukas Jensen, Carl Rushworth and Alex Palmer. Last season, the award was won by former Lincoln City stopper Ryan Allsop, and while that former Imp made headlines in 2024/25, a host of them were winners in 2025/26.
In fact, all of the title-winning keepers across the EFL are former Lincoln City keepers. Yesterday was a fine day for a number of our former stoppers, suggesting we have a real knack for finding quality, big-game stoppers.
Grant Smith (2018-2020)
Smith was an Imp during our League Two title win, and the following Covid season, which was curtailed early. He appeared a handful of times, but was released by Michael Appleton in the summer of 2020.
Yesterday, Smith was promoted with Bromley, where he is the current number one. He kept 15 clean sheets from his 43 League Two outings.
Sam Long (2020-2024)
Long wasn’t a teammate of Smith while at Lincoln, although their paths may have briefly crossed as Sam joined us in 2020. However, their paths cross now; they’re teammates at Bromley, and Sam is once again a League One keeper.
Now 23, he plays second fiddle to 32-year-old Smith, but made three appearances in League Two this season, keeping one clean sheet.
Carl Rushworth (2022-2023)
We know Smith and Long won League Two, we know Wickens, Pardington and Jeacock won League One, and now we have the Championship-winning keeper, yet another Imp. Isn’t it odd that every single game played by a title-winning side this season featured a former Lincoln City keeper?
Rushworth played 46 matches, kept 17 clean sheets and has been linked with moves to some of the biggest teams in the country. Not bad for a former City keeper.
Alex Palmer (2020-2021)
Palmer is still one of the best keepers I’ve seen in a City shirt, and he was also promoted yesterday. He didn’t play for Ipswich, having lost his place in late 2025, and has played second fiddle all season despite wearing the number one shirt.
He’s now back in the Premier League, where he appeared for Ipswich last season, and will surely be hoping to dislodge Christian Walton from his starting spot.
Jordan Wright (2022-2024)
Wright didn’t win promotion yesterday, but he did have a huge part to play in his side staying in League Two. Newport were 1-0 down against Barrow, and their 13-year stay in League Two was coming to an end.
Barrow got a penalty, and at 2-0, Newport would have been in serious trouble. Wright, with 39 appearances for the Exiles this season, saved Josh Gordon’s penalty, and his side went on to win 2-1, securing their survival at the expense of Barrow and Harrogate Town.
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