The Imps have registered their squad with the EFL for the coming season, and there is an omission from the list.
The EFL require a club to register a squad list after the summer transfer window closes. Championship clubs have a maximum of 25 senior players, while League One and Two clubs are limited to 22.
Players under 21 at the start of the season and registered as permanent deals do not count towards this limit, but loan players, regardless of age, must be included in the squad list.
Clubs must also include at least eight homegrown players in their 25-man squad.
With those rules in mind, the Imps have registered 28 players for the season. That’s 17 ‘senior’ players, namely Tom Bayliss, Sonny Bradley, James Collins, Tendayi Darikwa, Reeco Hackett, Tom Hamer, Ben House, Adam Jackson, Dom Jefferies, Dexter Lembikisa, Conor McGrandles, Lewis Montsma, Jack Moylan, Adam Reach, Erik Ring, Rob Street and Ryley Towler. Of those, 13 are homegrown.
We have a further 11 that are Under 21, namely Fin Barbrook, Freddie Draper, Oisin Gallagher, MJ Kamara, Justin Obikwu, Gbolahan Okewoye, Zane Okoro, Frankie Okoronkwo, Charlie Parks, Oscar Thorn, and Ivan Varfolomieiev (their spelling, not mine).
One notable absence from that list is keeper Jamie Pardington. The 25-year-old has been used sparingly since joining from Cheltenham Town, making two EFL Trophy appearances. He’s two for two in terms of clean sheets, keeping out Manchester City Under 21s and Morecambe in the competition last season.
He spent a short term on loan at Peterborough Sports in the latter parts of the 2024/25 season, and has previously had spells with Truro City, Grimsby Town, Mansfield Town, Bath City and Larne in Ireland. However, with him not being registered this season, it suggests we could be looking for a loan spell for him. Six of his 11 clubs have been loan clubs, and with two excellent keepers in his way, it could be that the 6ft 5in stopper is soon to be experiencing loan number seven.
Elsewhere in our division, there is controversy over Mansfield Town’s decision to select Lucas Akins in their squad. The 36-year-old began a 14-month prison sentence in April after pleading guilty to causing the death of a cyclist by careless or inconsiderate driving.. He could be released on license after serving half his sentence, meaning the Stags may be able to select him before Christmas.