The Bad: JJ McKiernan
JJ McKiernan is here because his Lincoln move failed to deliver what we hoped it would. There was a talented player in there, and I thought we had made a sensible signing when he arrived from Morecambe in the summer of 2024. A four-year contract suggested the club saw him as a player who could develop into a significant part of our future.
His Watford connection came earlier, through their academy, although he never made a senior appearance for the Hornets. A productive loan at Eastleigh was followed by seven goals in 28 league appearances for Morecambe, including a hat-trick away at Colchester United. You could understand why we were interested in a young midfielder with that sort of attacking potential.
Unfortunately, his Lincoln career never gathered momentum. Injury interrupted his progress, competition for places was strong and the jump from League Two required an adjustment. There were glimpses of ability, including his EFL Trophy goal against Manchester City Under-21s, but they never developed into a sustained contribution to the first team.
The first loan to Burton Albion offered a chance to get regular football and return better equipped to compete here. Instead, a second spell followed, and the longer he spent building a career elsewhere, the harder it became to imagine him establishing one at Sincil Bank. What had begun as a long-term Lincoln project increasingly felt like a move towards a permanent departure.
That departure came in July 2026, when he joined Bromley. His record for us remained 17 appearances and one goal, a modest return on the hopes attached to his arrival. I hope he does well there, but any future success will not change how little the Lincoln move ultimately produced on the pitch.
There is no need to revisit every rumour or pretend we know everything that happened behind the scenes. Injuries, opportunity and the player’s own wishes can all affect whether a transfer works, and sometimes a sensible signing simply does not come off. McKiernan belongs in this section because of that disappointing outcome, especially when set against the promise of the deal.
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