When Max Sanders left Brighton for Lincoln City in January 2021, it was assumed he would become a first-team regular at the LNER Stadium.
When he joined the Imps he had been linked with a host of Championship clubs after impressing in the Carabao Cup. Today, with just 27 starts in his two-and-a-half-year stint in Lincolnshire, he was released.
The club’s retained list contained few surprises – injury-hit Joe Walsh and Championship-bound Regan Poole were the only other two allowed to leave, but Sanders is a surprise. An official club statement suggested they had opted not to extend Sanders’ contract, hinting at a possible option for an extension.
It all started so well – the Horsham-born midfielder arrived minutes before the winter window closed with the Imps fighting for promotion to the Championship. He struggled to establish himself in Michael Appleton’s side as they faltered, stumbling at the final hurdle. Sanders suffered a hamstring injury, and never got to match fitness, making it a frustrating start to his Imps’ career.
The 2021/22 season was a nightmare for Sanders, often overlooked by a manager who clearly didn’t fancy him. it may not have helped that he said in an Atheltic interview that he didn’t care who Lincoln were. ”I didn’t have a clue about Lincoln, really,” he said. “All I cared about was when my agent told me that they wanted to sign me. Then, when I went to sign, I travelled up on the day and thought, ‘Oh my God, it’s quite far’.”
Lincoln might have been a long way, but it only reflected his distance from the first team under Appleton. He did score, against Bowers & Pitsea in the FA Cup, but was often left rotting on the bench. When Mark Kennedy came in, Sanders was briefly restored to the side, making 21 of his 27 starts, but it’s clearly not enough to keep him at the club. Even a wonder goal against Champions Plymouth this season wasn’t enough, although it did endear him to supporters, with whom he remains popular.
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As a Lincoln fan, this is both surprising and not, in equal measure. Ethan Erhahon’s arrival signalled a change in tempo for the Imps midfield, and with Matty Virtue impressing, it left Sanders down the pecking order. I do wonder if perhaps he has struggled to settle; an interview he did with the club programme last season suggested he regularly got the train back to Brighton, a long journey at the best of times.
Despite that, supporters will be a little shocked. He was something of a darling of the crowd, a figure they often cited as a saviour during the more challenging periods of Michael Appleton’s reign. One thing is for certain- if it had been last season, it could be said that he hadn’t been given the chances, but this season he has been handed plenty of minutes, and perhaps hasn’t done enough to prove he has a major role to play in City’s push for a top ten finish next season.
