Michael Appleton has praised Freddie Draper’s progress at Lincoln City, recalling how keen he was to bring the striker into the first-team setup.
Speaking in an interview with Gab Sutton, our former manager picked out Freddie as an example of the development work that has continued to bear fruit at Sincil Bank. His comments came during a discussion about recruitment, bringing young players through and creating value for the club.
It is easy to associate Michael’s time here with Morgan Rogers and Brennan Johnson, two outstanding loan players who helped take us to Wembley. However, he was keen to highlight the permanent arrivals and academy prospects whose contributions extended beyond his own tenure.
“Even though you look at your Morgans and your Brennans of this world, if you look at some of the players that have moved on for decent amounts of money, your Sean Roughans, your Regan Pooles, these are all players that I either brought through myself through the club, or we actually brought into the club when I was there in the first two seasons,” he said.
“That model started to work and get better and better. You’ve only got to look at the likes of Freddie Draper now, doing ever so well.”
Freddie’s journey is a reminder that development takes time. His early opportunities under Michael were the beginning of a process, with senior football elsewhere and the challenge of establishing himself back here still ahead of him.
Now, we are seeing him make a difference in the Championship. His September winners at Preston and Bristol City brought tangible rewards for that patience, turning two tight away games into six valuable points.
“I remember watching him in numerous youth team games and thinking, ‘Right, how quickly can we get him into the first-team setup?’
“Obviously he played a few games for us, and then unfortunately got injured in my last season there, so he didn’t play as much.”
What I like about those comments is the enthusiasm behind them. Michael saw someone he wanted involved, a young striker whose performances were making him consider how soon he could handle the next step. I’ve said before how he claimed if Freddie wasn’t our nine in two years, he (Appleton) would be to blame, but he was gone 12 months later.
Several coaches have contributed to Freddie’s progress since; some have hindered it, and the player deserves considerable credit for his own work. Nevertheless, it is good to hear the manager who gave him those early opportunities taking pleasure in what he is doing now, particularly when we are enjoying the benefits every week.
There is plenty more Lincoln discussion in the interview, and I would recommend listening to the whole conversation.
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