Chris Moyses 2015
Division: National League
Estimated Budget: Lower midtable
Ins: Jack Muldoon, Callum Howe,
Biggest Lee Beevers, Chris Bush, Liam Hearn, Matt Rhead, Matt Sparrow, Craig Stanley, Greg Tempest, Luke Waterfall, Bradley Wood
Outs: Sean Newton, Arnaud Mendy, Jake Caprice, Todd Jordan, Tom Miller, Delano Sam-Yorke, Ben Tomlinson, Jordan Burrow, Hamza Bencherif
Rating at the time: 6/10
Rating with hindsight: 8/10
If there’s ever a case for a transfer window being much better than it felt at the time, then 2015 is it. It had been announced in February 2015 that the club had the Coop bank loan called in, so the budget had plummeted. Chris Moyses was working for free, and a conservative estimate is lower midtable in terms of our budget. There wasn’t a whole lot of expectation, especially as this was six months BC (before Clive). Financially, this was closing in on our lowest ebb, perhaps feeling steadier since 2011, but with the threat of bankruptcy just as real.
Replacing Sam-Yorke, Ben Tomlinson, Jordan Burrow and Hamza Bencherif was never going to be easy, but just look at the names that came in. Luke Waterfall, Callum Howe, Lee Beevers, Jack Muldoon, Matt Rhead and Bradley Wood all played a role in our success the following season; this was when the uplift in fortunes started. I still claim had Liam Hearn not left as he did we might have been in with a chance of the top six that campaign, but it wasn’t to be.
Biggest Success
I know there’s a club captain who won two trophies on there; I know there’s a future Player of the Year on the list as well, but only one man can get the nod. Matt Rhead was a cult hero at the Bank, but he could play a bit as well 50 goals, two promotions and three trophies later, Matt Rhead was a Lincoln City legend. He arrived as a cast-off from Mansfield, a player seen as a one-trick pony, a big lump up top, and he left having created history. There are few, if any players to have appeared on this list who had the impact he did.
Biggest Flop
It feels harsh to label any of this summer’s captures as flops, especially one with a goal every two matches, but the Liam Hearn drove me crazy. He was as close to a clinical finisher as I’ve ever seen in a Lincoln City shirt, and there’s zero doubt in my mind had he stayed we’d have been ten goals and several league places better off. He had injury issues and was being used sparingly, which wasn’t enough for him. Some players on the list might not have had the same impact as Liam Hearn, but at least they didn’t leave us in the lurch at a crucial time.