Anthony Scully, once sold by Lincoln City for a six-figure sum, has been released by Shrewsbury Town on completion of his current deal.
He is one of four former Lincoln City players either released or made available for transfer by the League Two side, as they approach a huge overhaul of their squad.
Scully was a revelation at City, a player who had a little bit of magic in him at any time. He excelled in the 2020/21 season, scoring on the opening day against Oxford United and popping up with plenty of crucial goals. He finished as the joint-leading scorer with Jorge Grant, in a side that also featured Brennan Johnson for the whole campaign.
After hitting 15 in 2021/22, a tough season for City, he began to attract serious attention, and sealed a deadline day deal with Wigan Athletic in 2022, thought to be worth an initial £200,000 to the Imps, with add-ons set to take it higher if he was a success.
Sadly, his career has been blighted by injury since. He made five appearances in the Championship for Wigan before being sold to Portsmouth at the start of the 2023/24 season. Again, injury ruined his time there, and while Pompey excelled and won the league, he was sitting out, frustrated.
He bagged a loan to League Two side Colchester in August 2024, but again struggled for regular game time, eventually having an operation on his troublesome injury that promised to bring him regular game time. He returned to Portsmouth and was released at the end of the 2024/25 season, having played just 26 matches since his Imps departure.
Last season, he joined Michael Appleton at Shrewsbury, but outlasted his former mentor, who was sacked with the National League beckoning. Gavin Cowan replaced him, and Scully got 35 matches in all competitions, with five goals and two assists. He started 23 matches, having started just six prior to moving to Shropshire.
Salop are now having a clearout after a terrible season in which relegation was a real threat, and Scully is one of four former Imps who have become casualties of that. John Marquis, a teammate of Scully in 2021/22, has also been released after six goals in his 43 matches for the club, including one from the spot in the FA Cup third round at Molineux against Wolves. 33-year-old Marquis has gone despite being Shrewsbury’s captain this season.
35-year-old Sam Clucas, who made a handful of appearances for us last season, having started at City in 2009, has been available for transfer. Shrewsbury gave him a two-year deal at the start of the season, and he’s been a key player. With two goals and five assists, he started 36 of his 40 outings for the club, but has now been told he can move on, should a bid come in for him.
Finally, one-time Imps loanee Tom Anderson has also been made available for transfer. Anderson joined City on loan from Burnley in 2014, where he made six appearances and scored his first senior goal in a 1-1 draw against Gateshead before returning to Turf Moor.
Anderson made his name at Doncaster Rovers, where he established himself as a key defender, made more than 200 appearances, captained the side and helped them win the League Two title in 2024-25.
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