Adam Reach has an impressive number of games in the Championship, and as a Middlesbrough academy graduate, he was almost guaranteed to score for Lincoln City this weekend.
Reach finished off a move involving George Wickens, Freddie Draper and Tendayi Darikwa, side-footing into the net to give the Imps the lead. Sadly, a Will Lankshear double saw the home side end up with all three points, but it was still a great moment for Reach, who started his career at the Riverside.
“Yeah, it’s a funny moment,” he told Imps+ after the game. “I’ve just said it in an interview before, I’ve actually got a really good record since leaving Middlesbrough 10 years ago now.
“I think that goal kind of epitomised what we’re about. We went long into Freddie and won the second ball. In this formation that we played today, the wing-backs had licence to spring and join the attack, and you saw that. Tendayi with a lovely cross from the right-hand side and I’ve come in from the left-hand side, and it’s a great finish.”
Adam spent six seasons as a pro with Boro, playing 78 times before a £5m move to Sheffield United. He went on to appear for West Brom, but has a decent record against his former side. He scored home and away for the Owls against Boro in 2018/19, and bagged again in 19/20 at the Riverside.
Still, having served his time as an apprentice and made his name with Boro, he says he would never celebrate a goal against them.
“I didn’t really have time to think about it. It happened really fast. For me, listen, different players have different ways of celebrating against former clubs. I left Middlesbrough as a 23-year-old lad with only the fondest of memories, so for me I would never celebrate.
“I think it’s nice to enjoy it with your teammates and the fans, but I would never go overboard with that. Unfortunately, it’s come in a defeat. When you score, you always want that to be in a win, but I think I’ll reflect on that and it’s a lovely memory for me.”
It was a lovely memory for the 2,200 travelling City fans, and it gave hope of getting something in our first second-tier game in 65 years. The challenge now is to ensure it isn’t just a memory we enjoy but a platform to go and start picking up enough points to remain in the division.
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