Alex Woodyard and John Akinde were both title winners at Lincoln City, and next season, they’ll join freshly promoted National League South outfit Folkestone Invicta.
The Seasiders won the Isthmian League Premier Division by 12 points, partly aided by Woodyard, who went out on loan from Sutton United. They’ll now line up in the same division as the likes of Truro City, Dagenham, Torquay and Braintree at step 2 of the non-league system, and they’ve brought in some heavyweights to help them on the way.
Woodyard is a name I still write fondly. Having come through the Charlton youth setup, he featured for the likes of Dartford, Braintree and Concord Rangers before joining the Imps. He played a key role in the National League winning season, famous for ‘ratting around’ in Luke Waterfall’s words, doing much of the unseen work. His performances were good enough to earn him a stab at league football, where he partnered Michael Bostwick in the middle of the park.
He left the club for a six-figure sum in May 2018, not long after we lifted the Checkatrade Trophy, but despite initial promise, he was eventually bombed out at London Road, joining Tranmere on loan. He then signed for AFC Wimbledon, where he had a decent run across three seasons, before moves to York, Colchester and finally Sutton United. From there, he was loaned to the Invicta last season, and played a role in their title win, now making his switch permanent.
Job ‘John’ Akinde, known as Big John from here, was a prolific forward before coming to City. He served the early part of his career at Ebbsfleet, then Bristol City and Crawley, with a lot of loans, before a move to Alfreton set him off. He scored 19 times for them in the National League, where he averaged a goal every three games. 90 strikes across 177 outings, including 33 in 2014/15 as they were promoted to the Football League, then 24 in 2015/16 and 26 in 2016/17. When we entered the league, he was regarded as prolific, but in 2017/18, injury hit hard and he bagged just seven in 32.
We then picked him up for a fee that would eventually rise to £325,000, and his 17 goals in 52 outings ensured we lifted the League Two title. His game was about much more than goals, he was a focal point for the attack, but his languid gait often drew unwarranted criticism. The following season he drifted out of the side as Tyler Walker blew up, but he still bagged eight in 29, including a brace on his final outing against Bolton Wanderers.
Big John then moved to Gillingham (nine in 81) and then Colchester (12 in 86) before heading for Braintree Town, where he’s been since July 2024. 16 goals in 83 has been a reasonable return, with six last season. Curiously, of those six, he scored once in the very first minute, twice in the final minute and twice from the spot.
Now 36, he’ll be looking to add some knowledge and brute force to the Seasiders attack, aided and abetted by Woodyard, with whom him was never a Lincoln City teammate, curiously. Making their moves in the same summer, one out, one in, they feel like they should have played together, but represent two very different sides of the same Lincoln City journey.
Right about akinde very divisive figure a lot of fans failed to see past his laid back style but he was pivotal to that promotion season