Former Lincoln City loanee Brooke Norton-Cuffy has recalled struggling during his first fortnight with the Imps, revealing the blunt response he received when he asked for an extra layer at training.
The 22-year-old (how is he still only 22?) is now playing Premier League football with Hull City, having taken a route through the Championship and Serie A since his spell at Sincil Bank. However, his first taste of senior league football came with us after he joined on loan from Arsenal in January 2022.
Speaking to the Yorkshire Post, Norton-Cuffy explained that the transition from academy football took some getting used to. His recollection of an exchange with the kit man gives a flavour of that introduction.
“At Lincoln, I struggled for the first two weeks. I went from academy to men’s football. I got a T-shirt and shorts in the middle of December. I asked the kit man for a thermal, he’s gone, ‘You’re not at Arsenal now!’
The challenge extended beyond the temperature, with Norton-Cuffy admitting he initially found the speed and physical demands difficult. His response was to put in additional work, both in the gym and on the training pitch.
“I struggled with the pace and intensity so I started doing extra gym sessions, extra with the coaches after training, little things.
“Then when I got my first start, it just kind of flourished.”
Norton-Cuffy went on to make 17 league appearances for the Imps, including 13 starts, scoring once. That goal came in our 3-1 victory against Sheffield Wednesday in March 2022, having made his debut from the bench in the 2-1 win at Plymouth Argyle that January.
His spell also included a successful appeal against a red card shown during our 2-0 victory at AFC Wimbledon. Dismissed following an off-the-ball incident with Lee Brown, he had the decision overturned, freeing him to face Rotherham United, Sunderland and Shrewsbury Town.
Having spent time with Chelsea as a youngster, Norton-Cuffy joined Arsenal aged ten and signed his first professional contract in January 2021. After Lincoln, loans at Rotherham, Coventry City and Millwall followed before a permanent move to Genoa in August 2024.
He returned to England with Hull in September 2026, while his international career has brought European Championship successes with England at under-19 and under-21 level. From those first difficult training sessions to top-flight football in two countries, he has certainly covered plenty of ground since pulling on an Imps shirt.
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