Former Lincoln City striker Dayle Southwell, once a headline loan signing, has joined Brigg Town, adding another Lincolnshire club to a career that once briefly brought him to Sincil Bank.
The Zebras confirmed the signing of the experienced frontman, describing it as a “signing of intent” by their management team. Southwell arrives after recent spells with Grimsby Borough and Gainsborough Trinity, continuing a career that has taken him through the Football League, National League and Northern Premier League.
For Lincoln supporters, Southwell’s name will always be tied to the 2016/17 season, when he arrived on loan from Wycombe Wanderers during the Imps’ remarkable National League campaign. His move to Sincil Bank came after he had been one of the most sought-after non-league forwards in the country following a prolific spell with Boston United, where he scored 52 league goals in 74 appearances.
There had been Football League interest in Southwell before he joined Wycombe, with Gareth Ainsworth taking him to Adams Park in the summer of 2016. By February 2017, with City competing on several fronts and fixtures beginning to pile up, Danny Cowley brought him in on a one-month loan, something which seemed like a huge coup at the time.
It started well enough. Southwell made an immediate impact in the FA Trophy against Welling United, scoring on his debut and suggesting he might prove to be a useful addition at a crucial stage of the season.
However, his time with the Imps never really caught fire. He made just two league appearances for City, and his loan spell ended without him becoming the extra attacking option many had hoped for. He did feature late on in the FA Trophy win against Boreham Wood, but returned to Wycombe soon after.
One of his more famous moments was a ‘what could have been’. As Sam Habergham’s corner was nodded back across the goal against Burnley in the FA Cup, it was Southwell who was pushed out of the way for Raggett to score. It’s Southwell the first to celebrate with him as he rolls to the turf, having secured himself a slice of FA Cup history.
Since then, Southwell has remained a familiar name around the non-league circuit, with spells at Guiseley, FC Halifax Town, King’s Lynn Town, Alfreton Town, Gainsborough Trinity and Grimsby Borough. He also earned an England C cap in 2016, recognition of the form that had made him such a hot property during his Boston United days.
Now 32, Southwell heads to Brigg with plenty of experience behind him and a reputation built largely on his goalscoring exploits in Lincolnshire. His time at Sincil Bank may have been brief, but his latest move keeps him firmly within the local football scene.
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