Did anyone expect us to be in the top two heading into February? I didn’t. Nobody did.
Well, we are, and for the second month in a row, we kicked off against Huddersfield at home. This time it wasn’t a defeat – we haven’t tasted league defeat since November, a run that has seen us become firm favourites in the promotion push.
Who stood out for you in January? With a big win against Peterborough, another against Bradford and credible draws against Luton and Huddersfield, plenty of players impressed. Even more attritional wins against Wigan and Burton had their moments.
Here are your Player of the Month and Performance of the Month for January 2026.
You can now check out all the winners of our monthly awards by going to our Roll of Honour page
Player of the Month
Conor McGrandles (7.82)
I think a young Mr Draper has been unlucky this month. He was second with an average of 7.78, packing two Man of the Match awards, but Conor was, again, just relentless.
It’s the consistency with Conor which stands out. He is always good, if we’re average, he’s good. If we’re brilliant, he’s good. He’s persistent, like the heartbeat. You have good days as a person, you have bad, but you need your heart to beat for either.
That’s Conor McGrandles, who now moves on to four Player of the Month awards during his Imps’ stay, one behind record-holder Paudie O’Connor.
Individual Performance of the Month
Freddie Draper (Bradford City H) 9.2
Yes Freddie! It’s his first showing in these awards, and a testament to how far he has come as a player.
Let’s be honest, he was unplayable at Luton, where he got a Man of the Match, and he showed the same against Bradford City. With a goal and an assist, he showed what he could be turning into, but it was his bullying of Curtis Tilt which really caught the eye.
He’s going to be some player if his recent progress is anything to go by.
Best Team Performance of the Month
v Peterborough United (H) 7.47
What else? For the third season in a row, Peterborough United at the Bank is the best performance in any given month. It’s the second time they’ve visited and conceded five, which is great, but I think the fact they looked half decent makes this one better. When we did them 5-1 they were awful, but this is a decent, if not spectacular, Posh side.