Former Lincoln City striker Charley Kendall has completed a move to Worthing, joining the National League side from Southend United for an undisclosed fee.
Kendall, now 25, becomes the Reds’ latest attacking addition after an 18-month spell at Roots Hall and will be hoping the move back to Sussex can bring the best out of a player whose strongest senior football has largely come outside the EFL.
There was a familiar phrase around Sincil Bank when Kendall arrived at Lincoln in January 2022: Charley Kendall scores goals. He did, and has continued to do so, although the Football League never really proved to be the place where his game flourished.
Kendall began his senior career with Queens Park Rangers and spent the 2020/21 season on loan with Eastbourne Borough. He then joined his hometown club permanently in September 2021 and quickly made a name for himself in National League South.
His form there prompted the Imps to move for him in January 2022. Lincoln signed Kendall before immediately loaning him back to Eastbourne to finish the season, and he ended that campaign with an excellent 24 goals.
He returned to City that summer and made his competitive debut in the EFL Cup against Doncaster Rovers in August 2022. Kendall marked the occasion with a goal in a 3-0 win, but opportunities in League One proved difficult to come by.
Across two seasons, he made only three league appearances for the Imps, with much of his development coming through loan spells elsewhere.
The first of those took him to Sutton United in League Two, although it always felt like a strange fit. Sutton’s style did not appear particularly well suited to Kendall’s strengths, especially a forward who had looked at his best running in behind and playing in a more fluid attacking setup. He returned to Lincoln disappointed after a spell that never really got going.
Further loans followed with Bromley and Dagenham & Redbridge in the National League, where he was able to gather more regular senior minutes and begin rebuilding the momentum which had earned him his move to Lincoln in the first place.
Kendall left the Imps permanently in January 2024, signing for Woking. He scored seven times in 35 appearances there before Southend United moved for him later that year, handing him an 18-month contract in December 2024.
His first season with the Shrimpers brought eight league goals in 28 appearances, and he also played an important part in their FA Trophy success last season. Kendall scored twice in the semi-final victory against Southport and featured at Wembley as Southend beat Wealdstone on penalties in the final.
He had also been involved under Kieron Dyer during the opening weeks of the current campaign, recently coming from the bench and scoring in a 3-1 win at Solihull Moors.
Worthing manager Adam Hinshelwood believes Kendall’s qualities can add another dimension to his side.
“Charley is a real threat with his pace in behind and has that all-important National League experience which we want to keep adding to the group.”
“His goal record speaks for itself and everyone is excited to have him through the door and see him represent our club.”
For Kendall, the move also represents a return to familiar territory. Born and raised in Eastbourne, some of the best football of his career came in Sussex before Lincoln took a chance on him four and a half years ago.
His time with the Imps never quite delivered what either player or club would have hoped, but his record outside the EFL has remained respectable. Worthing will now hope that bringing him back to Sussex can unlock the version of Kendall that first caught City’s attention.
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