On this day, one decade ago, Lincoln City handed a debut to a striker borrowed from Leeds United.
The club tweeted a short video of his opening goal, a strike which earned the Imps a point against Crewe as they battled relegation. After a couple of games, he really began to fire earning a draw at Dagenham (1-1) and scoring twice to earn a win away at Torquay (3-2).
Somma had been on the fringe of the Leeds setup and had previously been on loan with Chesterfield, but he thrived under former Chelsea and England striker Chris Sutton, who waxed lyrical about his new striker.
“Since Davide has come in he’s not just scored goals he’s offering us so much more in terms of his link-up play and awareness,” he said in his March programme notes for a clash with Northampton.
“He offers a genuine goal threat. The one thing he can do is finish but there’s still parts of his game, by his own admission, he can work on and I’m confident I can help him with his game.”
He scored nine goals in 14 matches, ending up as the Imps’ leading scorer as they avoided relegation to the National League. Unsurprisingly, fans were clamouring for him to be signed full time and despite Chris Sutton signalling his interest in the player, Leeds opted to give him a chance at Elland Road.
Their decision was vindicated as he scored 12 Championship goals for them the following season, but after that, his progress was blighted by injury. Shortly after the World Cup of 2010, he was called up to the South Africa side for three games, scoring once, but a torn his anterior cruciate ligament effectively ended his good form. He later suffered knee cartilage damage and required an operation, but left Yorkshire in 2013.
Somma is now a junior coach for Long Island United, but in one part of the UK at least, he’ll always be the man who saved them from relegation, albeit for a solitary season.
Loved this guy – on loan from the mighty Leeds. @Staceywestblog when are you gonna get him on the podcast? @JoeLufc1989
— Ash Meikle (@AshMeikle) February 27, 2020
https://twitter.com/DavidImp1972/status/1232969493925761024
At least 4000 imps don’t know who this man is
— Ryan (@RWillows) February 27, 2020
What a player. One of the most natural finishes I’ve seen. Shame he did his knee. Really nice guy as well
— A Stocks (@A_Stocks_) February 27, 2020
https://twitter.com/crushedpotato1/status/1232977658532724736
One of our best ever loan signings who delayed our relegation by a year
— Tony Smith (@antsmith29) February 27, 2020
SOS, saved our season.
— Alex parky (@madeofstone71) February 27, 2020
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