Wingers: The Key To The Imps’ Success Next Season?

There’s something special about a proper winger, isn’t there?

The kind of player who dips a shoulder, beats a full-back, and gets you off your seat. I’ve been thinking a lot lately about where City need to strengthen ahead of next season, and after spending a bit of time on Wyscout and chatting to our Patreon supporters, I keep coming back to the same thing: we need exciting wide players to get fans feeling entertained. Not just anyone who can do a job out wide – we need actual wingers.

Now, I’m not one for pretending to be an internet scout who knows everything. I’ve got Wyscout access until July, and I enjoy using it, but I’m not going to throw out a thousand names for the sake of it. What I’m more interested in is what type of player we need, and for me, wide areas are crying out for reinforcements, regardless of who might stay or go this summer.

We’ve adopted the 4-2-3-1 under Michael Skubala, and I like it. It brings wingers back into focus, and as anyone who’s read my stuff for long enough knows, I’m a massive fan of wingers. I always have been. The role itself is a strange one – a winger can beat two men and whip in a cross, and fans will come away thinking they’ve had a stormer, even if we don’t win. Do it twice in a game and you’re man of the match. But if you go quiet, suddenly you’re lazy or a luxury. It’s probably the most perception-driven position in the game.

And yet, they’re often the spark; the decoration on the Christmas tree. The rest of the team builds the spine – goalkeeper, centre-half, tough-tackling midfielder, striker. But it’s the wingers who make you excited, especially if they’re quick. Also, here’s something: fans love a left-footer – maybe it’s rarity, maybe it’s balance. It came up in a conversation with (name drop) Charlie Baker from talkSPORT this week, and it got me thinking: so many of my favourite Lincoln players have been wingers.

Paul Smith, David Puttnam, Gareth Ainsworth – names from my younger days that still stick in the mind. More recently, we’ve had Bruno Andrade, Brennan Johnson, Harry Anderson. Even players like Zach Elbouzedi and Theo Archibald, who barely made a dent statistically, still feel memorable because of a couple of standout displays. That’s what wingers do – they burn bright, even if only briefly.

But they’re not the same as wing-backs. That shift under Appleton, when Morgan Whittaker was shoved out to wing-back, didn’t work. You can’t expect a winger to do what a wing-back does – track runners, plug gaps, hold a defensive line. That stifles their spark. It’s why Reeco Hackett didn’t really come alive until he was moved further forward. It’s why Dom Jefferies might face a challenge next season. He did a job at wing-back, sure, but where does he fit in a 4-2-3-1? Midfield, maybe.

Right now, if the season started tomorrow, our dedicated wide options would be Reeco, Erik Ring and Jovon. Three proper wide players. However, Jovon’s still adjusting to the role, and Reeco – as we know – drifts in and out. No criticism, it’s just how it is with wingers. Erik Ring was brought in as a wing back, even though he’s excited as winger. Still, I think you need at least four players you’d be happy starting out wide because you’ll be rotating. Wingers get subbed more than anyone. They run more, take more hits, and need managing. Right now, we’re perhaps one short.

You could argue that Street or McKiernan can play there, and they can, but they’re central players really. Jack Moylan and Ben House are number tens. Jefferies, as mentioned, could fill in – but he’s not a natural winger either. If we’re going to reach our potential, which I believe to be borderline top six, then I think we need to put square pegs in square holes.

Pace is another big factor. You need it in League One, especially against the sides we’ll be facing – Barnsley, Stockport, Luton, Huddersfield. These are teams that will look to dominate possession and get forward against us. We need an out ball, not route one to Collins, like Rheady and the fabled Cowley days. We need to go wide or get behind teams. Beat full-backs. Stretch play. Scare people.

And here’s the thing: a lot of fans said we weren’t entertaining this season. That’s despite us scoring more goals than Mark Kennedy’s full season, winning 5-1, 5-0, 4-1, 3-0 at home. Why wasn’t it entertaining? Perhaps it was the style of goals – set pieces, corners, free kicks, goals with no build-up. That’s not criticism – we were brilliant at them – but it doesn’t get fans buzzing in quite the same way. A winger beats a man, crowd leans forward. He reaches the byline, the crowd’s off its feet. It’s a different kind of excitement when that slow build-up results in a great finish – think Peterborough away and that outstanding team goal.

I mentioned Luca Barrington in my recruitment piece, more as an example of a profile than a name. A young player who’s done well in League Two and could step up. Same with Joe Gardner. He was raw, he lost possession on occasion for us, but he had people excited. That’s what we need – nobody minds a winger losing the ball 10 yards from the opposition byline, but when a wing back does it, there’s a lot of green space behind him.

I genuinely think we could start the season tomorrow and be competitive. If we lose nobody, we’re a top ten team. If we lose one or two – say, O’Connor – we’re still fine. It’s only Ethan or Sean Roughan where replacements get tricky. But even then, we’ve shown we can adapt. Ethan was injured for a chunk of the season and we coped. If Ethan goes, we need a central midfielder. If Sean Roughan goes, we need a left back. If Paudie goes, do we need another centre back, with Jackson, Hamer and Montsma? For cover, yes. To start? Not immediately.

And if we get fees for them – seven figures for at least one of them – that opens up the top end of the pitch. That’s where your money should go. That’s where it makes the biggest difference. That’s where you get your next Kwame Poku or Ivan Toney. We’ve recruited well before. We can do it again.

So for me, wingers are the key. From David Puttnam to Dany N’Guessan, Nathan Arnold to Harry Anderson  They’re not just about winning games, but about creating moments. Moments that make the game feel alive. Moments that give fans something to talk about on the way home. Moments that make you love football.

Let’s hope we sign at least one. Let’s hope they’re fast, fearless, and fun to watch. Because if we’re going to build on last season, if we’re going to move from top half to top six, that’s where the difference will come from. Out wide. Where the magic happens.