Lincoln City have agreed a deal for out-of-favour midfielder JJ McKiernan to leave the club, as reported by Peter O’Rourke.
The 24-year-old has reportedly agreed to join newly-promoted Bromley on a permanent basis. He returned to the Imps this summer following a second loan spell with Burton Albion, but his future at Sincil Bank always appeared uncertain after he had previously spoken openly about wanting to remain with the Brewers rather than return and fight for a place in our side.
The proposed transfer was revealed by O’Rourke, who reported on X that McKiernan had agreed a permanent move to Bromley. There has not yet been official confirmation from either club, but a departure would bring his two-year association with City to an end midway through the four-year contract he signed after leaving Morecambe in the summer of 2024. Usually, if O’Rourke ‘understands’ something, it’s happened and an agent has told him so.
Bromley will begin the new season in League One after completing a remarkable rise through the divisions. They only reached the Football League for the first time in 2024, defeating Solihull Moors in the National League play-off final, but required just two seasons to secure another promotion. The Ravens won the 2025/26 League Two title, sealing top spot with a 3-1 victory against Walsall on the final day, and McKiernan would arrive as part of their preparations for the first third-tier campaign in the club’s history.
Born in Southampton, McKiernan began his senior career with Watford after previously playing for Andover Town at youth level. He signed professional terms at Vicarage Road in 2021 and later gained experience through loans with Bohemians and Eastleigh, although he left Watford without making a competitive first-team appearance. His breakthrough came after joining Morecambe in 2023, where he demonstrated his attacking ability from midfield. The standout moment was a hat-trick in a 3-1 victory at Colchester United, the first away hat-trick recorded by a Morecambe player in the club’s Football League history.
We signed McKiernan on a four-year contract in July 2024, and he started the opening game of the season as we won 3-2 at Burton. He scored his only City goal against Manchester City Under-21s in the EFL Trophy, but his opportunities became increasingly limited. He appeared against Morecambe in the EFL Trophy, but got injured, which compounded his misery, and he joined Burton on loan in January 2025.
He returned to the Brewers for the entire 2025/26 campaign and later admitted that City had wanted him to come back and compete for his place, but he preferred to remain at Burton. Those comments made a long-term future with us appear unlikely, but he returned again this summer, and rather than be frozen out, he was included in the early pre-season friendlies, playing 45 minutes against Boston.
A permanent move to newly promoted Bromley would now give him the opportunity to continue playing regularly in League One, but it would also bring to an end one of the few transfer misses the Imps have had in recent seasons.
Comments Welcome!