Lincoln City head coach Chris Cohen has said Aston Villa stopper Joe Gauci will be great for the Imps, despite a slightly shaky pre-season start.
The Imps lost 5-1 against Grimsby on Tuesday night, with Gauci conceding two of the five goals. One of those was a mistake: after being sold a little short on a backpass, he tried to beat Andy Cook, failed, and ended up gifting the Mariners a goal from nothing.
Other than that, he looked assured, his kicking was good, and he’s obviously here to put pressure on George Wickens, our current number one. We needed another stopper, and as Chris explained, Joe has plenty of experience.
“He comes with loads of games under his belt. Obviously, very, very experienced,” he said in his post-match interview.
“We knew, with Zach going to Northampton, that we needed another one.”
The goal might only have been seen by 500 or so Imps fans in the flesh, but it was a talking point after the game. It wasn’t something Chris wanted to dwell on, as an indivbidual moment in a glorified training session.
“That was a technical mistake. We’re not worried about that stuff being a pattern. He’s done great in loads of parts of the game today.
“I thought he executed lots of the game plan really, really well in the second half.”
Our last keeper loanee from Aston Villa was a young lad called Elliot Parish who didn’t have a lot of experience, but there are no parallels to draw here. Gauci is an international, a player who, at 26, still has a really bright future, and he’s one Chris feels will be an asset for the Imps.
“We’re super excited to work with Joe, and he’s already come in and shown his personality,” he added.
“I know there was a moment in the second half, but overall, his performance was good, and he’ll be absolutely great for us.”
Gauci made a name for himself with Adelaide United, making 76 senior appearances before Aston Villa brought him to England in January 2024. After gaining his first EFL experience during a loan spell with Barnsley, the Australia international spent last season at Port Vale, keeping 11 clean sheets and conceding 40 goals in 34 League One appearances.