9: Charles Vernam
Lincoln City league record: 20 appearances, 0 goals.
Charles Vernam’s inclusion feels a little harsh because the logic behind his signing was perfectly sound. He had played well against Lincoln City for Burton Albion and had also performed strongly for Bradford City in League Two. Sometimes players make that step successfully, as Cohen Bramall had done before him, while others find the transition more difficult. Vernam was also a Lincoln lad, which created the possibility of him becoming a popular homegrown figure if he could rediscover his best form.
His season was disrupted before it had properly begun when he suffered an injury during the final pre-season friendly against Blackburn Rovers. That caused him to miss the opening matches and he never seemed to recover the momentum he had built during the summer. Vernam finished with 20 league appearances and no goals before returning to Grimsby Town, where he has since demonstrated the ability City hoped they were signing. Interestingly, while the club rated Charles, they also felt Reeco Hackett, signed days before, was an upgrade, hence allowing him to leave.
He has since passed 150 appearances across his spells with the Mariners and moved towards 30 goals, but Lincoln City never saw enough of that player.
Comments Welcome!