Lincoln City Midfield Stats Comparison 2024/25

Level Playing Field: Comparing the Midfielders Over Equal Minutes

While full-season stats help build the bigger picture, comparing players over a similar number of minutes allows us to better understand their impact when given the same opportunity. In this case, the sample focuses on each player’s first 242–343 minutes, putting Sam Clucas on level footing with his teammates.

What emerges is a fascinating recalibration of certain assumptions. Ethan Erhahon, for example, comes into sharper focus when adjusted for this shorter time span. His 13.38 forward passes per 90 lead the group, and he was also just 0.07 behind McGrandles for passes into the final third. With 4.99 interceptions per 90 and a defensive duel win rate of 75%, he showcases control and timing in a screening role. His positional discipline and accurate forward passing (70.59%) remained core to his game even in a limited stretch.

Conor McGrandles, by contrast, saw a shift in emphasis, given that in the first half of the season he was deployed in a different position. While still industrious (8.18 successful defensive actions per 90), his defensive duel win rate for the first 242 minutes was 59.09%—well below his season average. However, his passing game was better in this small sample: 80% accurate forward passes and 89.66% overall passing accuracy are excellent figures, suggesting good decision-making in a controlled spell. His creative contribution (1.12 shot assists per 90) was the best in the group, even if the rest of his attacking output remained minimal.

Ethan Hamilton’s short numbers paint a picture of raw, high-risk contribution. Despite recording just 3.3 forward passes per 90, he provided plenty of box activity: 1.65 shots and 1.32 touches in the box per 90. His defensive output was busy (7.58 defensive actions, 7.25 duels per 90), but slightly erratic—reflected in a duel win rate of 68.18% and aerial duel success at 60%. Still, the data reinforces the notion that Hamilton is a dynamic disruptor, contributing bursts of energy and vertical threat rather than steady control. It’s also worth remembering that his early minutes were without a pre-season and on the back of no football, so he comes into this smaller sample from a hindered start.

Bayliss, in this small-sample context, shows surprising balance. He continued to create—0.66 shot assists per 90 and two assists to his name—while also holding his own defensively (8.54 defensive actions per 90, the second-highest here). His attacking output remained strong, but his passing metrics dipped: 57.89% forward pass accuracy and just 6.24 forward passes per 90 underline his risk-taking nature, often favouring penetration over retention.

Clucas’s numbers are, obviously, the same as the larger sample. His one goal and 0.65 shot assists per 90 place him among the most productive attacking midfielders across their first 250/350 minutes. His passes to the final third (4.55 passes to that zone per 90), were less than Erhahon and McGrandles, although he had the highest aerial involvement (2.92 duels per 90), winning 55.56% of them. His defensive stats (8.12 actions, 68.18% duels won) were less than Erhahon, McGrandles and Tom Bayliss, and while his forward passing accuracy (60%) was also lower than three others, he clearly offered energy and experience during his short spell on the pitch.

Summary: What the Levelled Data Reveals

When everyone is judged over 250–350 minutes, some of the early-season narratives begin to shift. Erhahon’s ball-winning and distribution jump off the page, as does McGrandles’ playmaking contribution in a short burst. Clucas is the only player who delivered a goal in the smaller sample size, but nobody matches Bayliss for creative return, and Hamilton’s verticality remains his biggest asset.

Tom Bayliss is still the wildcard—always in the mix, often chaotic, but undeniably impactful.

It’s a reminder that while long-term contributions are made across a whole season, sometimes, a 270-minute spell is all it takes to leave a statistical fingerprint worth analysing.