The Substitutes
Grant Smith
Grant Smith was Josh Vickers’ understudy at Wycombe, having followed Bruno Andrade from Boreham Wood to Sincil Bank in 2018. He briefly held the number one shirt, before having his Imps’ career ended by Illias Chair against Stevenage. After leaving us in 2020, he had spells with Wealdstone, Chesterfield and Yeovil Town before joining Bromley. He helped them reach the Football League in 2024 and kept 15 clean sheets as they went up again in 2025/26. Bromley kept him on for their first season in League One.
Cian Bolger
Cian Bolger joined from Fleetwood Town in January 2019, played 17 league games on the way to the title and stayed on for our first season back in League One. He moved to Northampton Town in 2020 and then to Larne, where he captained them to the 2023/24 Irish Premiership title and into the league phase of the Conference League. Larne remains his last confirmed club after his contract expired in the summer of 2026.
Harry Anderson
Harry Anderson replaced Jack Payne in the 74th minute at Wycombe. He’d already helped us win the National League, the EFL Trophy and League Two, and he stayed until 2021 before winning another promotion with Bristol Rovers. A spell at Stevenage followed, and he’s now back with Danny and Nicky Cowley at Colchester United, where he and Payne are teammates again.
Max Melbourne
Max Melbourne was on loan from West Bromwich Albion at the time of the Wycombe game and signed permanently in January 2020. His only goal for us was a stoppage-time winner at Plymouth Argyle in 2022, shortly after he was recalled from a loan at Stevenage. He went on to play for Morecambe and Gateshead before joining Penybont, where he’s now a teammate of Tyler Walker.
Ellis Chapman
Ellis Chapman made his senior debut for us at 16 under Danny Cowley and came on for Bruno Andrade late in the game at Adams Park. He left for Cheltenham Town in 2020 and later scored nine league goals in a season at Sligo Rovers. A move to Shelbourne followed, and he’s now with Derry City, for whom he made his debut away at CSKA Sofia in Europa League qualifying.
John Akinde
John Akinde came on at half-time and scored five minutes later, getting our only goal in Cowley’s last game. He’d been our top scorer with 17 goals in the title-winning season and left for Gillingham in January 2020. He went on to play for Colchester United and Braintree Town before joining Folkestone Invicta in the summer of 2026.
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