While the World Cup rumbles on with some Lincoln City connections, the new season’s European competitions have also started.
There is no conformity these days! The early round of the major European competitions got underway, and while English clubs have no interest, there are some teams from the British Isles involved, and that means a handful of ex-Imps getting their boots out before many have contemplated competitive football.
Of course, Ireland’s season is already underway, and you’d expect those clubs to be fresh, but for Shamrock Rovers, there was little respite. They were beaten 2-0 by Floriana in the Champions League, having gone down to ten men. There was no Danny Mandroiu: he did his ACL at the tail end of 2025 and isn’t going to be back for a while.
The New Saints were in action. They, too, were in Champions League qualifying, and they, too, were beaten 2-0, vanquished by Sabah from Azerbaijan. Jordan Williams, loaned to the Imps at the end of the 2017/18 season, started up top for them, but was unable to help them to a win.
Larne were also in action, and there is a tenuous Lincoln City link there. Dylan Sloan, linked with the Imps, started on the bench, but didn’t get on. Kevin O’Hara, also linked with the Imps a few years ago, did play. The former Alloa striker has just joined from Hamilton Academical after a modest scoring record north of the border.
This evening is Europa League qualifying and Conference League qualifying, and we could see a couple of former Imps (of sorts) in action.
The big one is CSKA Sofia and Derry City. Ellis Chapman has just joined Derry, and could be pitched straight into action. They’re struggling in the league this season, languishing in fifth, but any sort of result against Sofia would be huge for the Candystripes.
Bohemians are also in action; they host St Joseph’s of Gibraltar. They’ll be hoping to progress, and while there are no former Imps, a rumoured transfer target from the past is likely to play: Senan Mullen, a trialist from a couple of years ago, now at Torino. He played for the Imps against Boston in the Lincolnshire Senior Cup.
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