Last season, two players who arrived on long-term contracts, JJ McKiernan and Rob Street, enjoyed successful loan spells away from the club.
Both have impressed away from Sincil Bank, but their paths back into the first team are far from straightforward. At Burton, JJ helped his side to stay in League One, with lots of endeavour but fewer goals and assists than Street. He was a level below, but earned a title winner’s medal with Doncaster by bagging 12 goals in 22 matches, a superb return.
Both will now expect to come back and be a part of the first team squad, but I think at least one might find it a real challenge to create an identity at Lincoln City.
JJ McKiernan – Searching for a Place to Call His Own
Let’s start with JJ. Every time I’ve seen him in a Lincoln shirt, there’s been something about him—calm on the ball, clever in tight spaces, capable of scoring a goal like the one he bagged against Manchester City’s U21s in the EFL Trophy. He’s composed and clearly talented.
But he’s also been unlucky. His early stint in red and white was crowded out by the presence of players like Jack Moylan, Tom Bayliss and Ben House, all competing for similar positions. Even when he did get a chance—such as a substitute appearance against Morecambe—injury struck before he could settle.
JJ’s spell at Burton Albion gave him valuable minutes, and while he wasn’t prolific, he was part of a side that went on a strong run to safety. Yet the number of goal involvements wasn’t especially high, and that’s a concern. Jez George commented that he got into good positions but perhaps should have come away with more. That stuck with me.
Now he’s returning to a City side set to play a 4-2-3-1—offering slightly more tactical flexibility. But where does he fit? He might drop into a deeper midfield role like Tom Bayliss, or perhaps fight for the No. 10 shirt. There’s even the possibility of playing wide, though that role is already a crowded space.
The big worry is that there’s no obvious place for JJ in this team. And listening to Jez speak, I couldn’t help but feel there was a hint of realism creeping in—almost a subtle suggestion that JJ might have to really fight to break through.
That would be a shame, especially given the buzz around his signing. He was earmarked as a potential asset, a player who could grow into something special, and I still believe that. But unless he has a big pre-season—score, creates, and imposes himself, then a repeat loan might be the next step, perhaps even back to Burton. It wouldn’t be the end of his Lincoln journey, just another chapter.
Rob Street – The Mental Challenge Ahead
With Rob Street, the concern is different—but just as real. This is a player who went away to Doncaster and smashed it. He was the second-most efficient striker in League Two by minutes-per-goal, just behind Nathan Lowe, who ended the season in Stoke’s first team.
If he’d done what he did at Doncaster while contracted elsewhere, we’d probably be priced out of any move. Instead, we own him. And that gives us a fantastic asset. But it also gives us a challenge.
Street isn’t coming back as the guaranteed starting number nine: that’s still James Collins, who scored ten last season and fits the style of play our system requires. Collins is the experienced operator, the focal point in a one-striker system. And in that setup, chances for others can be limited.
Rob isn’t like Freddie Draper. He’s not a direct replacement for Collins, but he’s not a completely different option either. He’s somewhere in the middle. Not quite a press-and-harass forward, not quite a run-in-behind speedster.
So, where does he get his minutes?
Maybe Tuesday nights after we’ve played on a Saturday. Maybe the tougher away days that come before a home tie, where Collins plays. Maybe when we need a different kind of presence up front. But that rotation requires real mental strength from the player. When a young striker comes back from a goal-laden loan, they want to play and they want to start. And being told to wait your turn, to come off the bench, to prove it again at a higher level—that can be tough.
That’s the test for Rob Street.
He’ll be in the squad. I’ve no doubt about that. There’s no suggestion he’s going back out on loan. And we’re not selling him—not when he’s shown that a good season could make him worth an even more significant fee. He’ll be one of our three attackers alongside Collins and Fred Draper. If those three combine for 30+ goals next season, we’ll be more than satisfied.
But League One is a different beast to League Two. The defenders are quicker, the spaces smaller, the margins tighter. It’s a step up. And now it’s Rob’s time to prove he can make that step.
The Wider Picture
While the focus here is JJ and Rob, it’s worth remembering that not every returning loanee will be eyeing the first team. Players like Zack Bradshaw or Oisin Gallagher are more likely to head out again. And that’s no slight on them—it’s just where they are in their development.
But for McKiernan and Street, this pre-season is massive. The squad is already big—Jez mentioned we have something like 28 players when the ideal is around 22–23. That means decisions will be made. And every training session, every friendly, will matter.
As fans, all we can do is watch and hope. Personally, I’d love to be wrong. I’d love JJ to nail down that No. 10 role. I’d love Street to come off the bench in August and have four goals by October. Both have shown their potential. Both deserve the opportunity.
It’s going to be a big season. And I, for one, can’t wait to see how it unfolds.
Up the Imps.