15 – Michael O’Connor
Michael O’Connor was already familiar with Sincil Bank from a 2009 loan spell with us when he returned on a free transfer from Notts County in June 2018. A serious knee injury had interrupted his time at Meadow Lane, but he recovered to make 45 appearances in our League Two title-winning campaign and earned another year’s contract. That comeback from injury was only part of the story. He scored our first League One goal after promotion, and was harshly judged to be one of the old hands needed out the door by Michael Appleton.
I’ve included him not only for his impact on the title-winning team, but also for the risk against reward. Given his injury, many promotion-hunting clubs might have turned away from the risk, but we didn’t, and he proved to be an inspired addition to the squad. Salford City paid an undisclosed fee for him in January 2020, although his stay was brief, and he returned to Northern Ireland with Glenavon that August. He’s now the manager there, forging a career in the dugout that is well deserved.
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