I’ve done a lot of articles this summer on the status of former Lincoln City players, their contract situations and the like.
In almost every instance, there isn’t a lot that has surprised me. Tyler Walker’s injury record has seen him leave BArrow, for instance, while players like Sean Long and Alex Woodyard are coming to the tail end of their careers and will probably start to filter down the divisions.
One player released last week that I didn’t do an article on was Matty Virtue. Now 29, Virtue has just been released by Fleetwood Town, and I cannot understand how such a talented player has got to a point where he is leaving a League Two club for nothing.
Matty Virtue at Lincoln City
Virtue joined Lincoln City on loan from Blackpool in September 2022 during Mark Kennedy’s only full season in charge. He made his debut from the bench at Cambridge United, a game that caused me some concern at the time, and opened his Imps account a fortnight later in the wild 6-3 win over Bristol Rovers, timing his run well from deep to add to one of the more memorable afternoons of that campaign.
He was not a player who necessarily dominated conversations, either at the time or in the years since, but his contribution was better than it perhaps feels in hindsight. It wasn’t an easy season to shine, but I always felt he did. Despite having a spell out injured, Virtue finished the season with 36 appearances in all competitions, scoring four times, albeit two in the final two games. In a season that often felt flat and short on real enjoyment, that was a perfectly respectable return from midfield.
I never felt his game was all about goals. We’re not talking Jack Moylan here, more of a Tom Bayliss of Conor McGrandles hybrid. He was a grafter, versatile, decent on the ball, and he added some steel to the midfield. Perhaps we didn’t need that as much when Ethan Erhahon signed. Perhaps he wasn’t on Ted Bishop’s level of creativity, but for me, he was an accomplished, top-end League One midfielder.
Virtue did not tear trees up at Sincil Bank, but he was seen as a solid option for Blackpool when he went back. They were relegated and back in League One and his experiences with the Imps stood him in good stead for some appearances, but he started three times, coming off the bench on 22 occasions.
Matty Virtue Post Lincoln City
I felt a mid-table League One move was on the cards. He didn’t smash it at Blackpool, but let’s be honest, who has in recent seasons? They finished eighth, missed out on the play-offs and he did play a role, so surely, League One still beckoned?
No, League Two, and Fleetwood Town, which did feel like it might be motivated by location as much as wages. It was a huge step down, in my opinion, for a player in his prime, and while we don’t know what was on the cards, I imagine they thought they’d be coming straight back up.
He’s done well for the Cod Army. He’s played in the six, eight, and as a more advanced attacking midfielder. In 2024/25, he got nine League Two goals and added three cup assists, despite switching roles often. Last season, he still grabbed three goals and three assists in the league, one in the cup, meaning over two seasons, he’s had 19 goal involvements. That’s despite playing much of his time in a slightly deeper midfield role.
Even with that involvement, he has now been released by manager Matt Lawlor after a 15th-placed finish. It isn’t even just about his goals: he’s won 61% of his defensive duels, made 51% of his recoveries in the opposition half, and averaged 2.26 interceptions per game. His passing has been a little loose, under 65%, which I use as a benchmark, but still, he feels like he should be rated much higher.
Managers know better than me, but I remember when Virtue left, thinking how we’d be lucky to get him back. The period he missed during the 2022/23 season saw us lose one in 11, a decent run, which may have reflected on him.
I just think he was unlucky to have played under the wrong manager in the wrong season at Lincoln. Obviously, he hasn’t matched the talent he showed at the Bank, but his numbers stack up at Fleetwood, and while League Two may still beckon, I am baffled as to how a player who stood out during one of our darker seasons in recent memory has now found himself in his prime, and without a club two divisions below us.
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