Everton youngster Callum Connolly produced a man of the match performance in Lincoln City’s 3-0 defeat of Rotherham last night in the EFL Trophy to cap a remarkable turn around in his fortunes since arriving at Sincil Bank on a season-long loan in the summer.
Danny Cowley signed the versatile youngster, but only three matches into his spell the former teacher and his brother Nicky left to take the reins at Championship side Huddersfield Town leaving the Imps in turmoil and the squad worried about their futures.
The Lincoln board moved quickly to appoint the highly-rated Michael Appleton, and while the club is in a period of transition, results and performances are slowly starting to improve.
The goings-on at Sincil Bank are all part of a young players education and Connolly, who was initially employed in centre midfield by the Cowleys, kept his place under Appleton, but after a bright start, started to look one-paced and slow in the engine room, leaving many Imps fans questioning whether their former manager had signed a dud.
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The turning point for Connolly came when a straight red card for Cian Bolger in a dull 0-0 draw with Shrewsbury left Appleton short of options in the centre of defence. With last year’s defensive lynchpin Michael Bostwick still suffering from a long term injury, the former Leicester City assistant manager turned to the twenty-two-year-old to fill the gap.
The move left plenty of Imps fans concerned. However, four games later many are singing the praises of the Everton youngster who has undoubtedly grown into the role. He produced an accomplished performance against Rotherham that leaves Appleton with a big decision ahead of Lincoln’s visit to Gillingham at the weekend with Bolger now available after completing his three-match ban.
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After the Cowleys left and before Appleton arrived, Lincoln got thumped 6-0 at home by a rampant Oxford United and Connolly had a nightmare in midfield and bore the brunt of fan criticism.
It is a credit to the youngster that he’s got his head down and proved the doubters wrong, producing some excellent displays in the heart of the Imps defence.
This is what a loan spell for a Premier League youngster is all about, and Connolly will be a much better player and person for his experiences at Lincoln he returns to Everton in the summer.
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