Woking has confirmed the capture of Lincoln City forward Charley Kendall for an undisclosed fee.
Kendall has spent the first half of the season on loan with Dagenham, where he’s registered three goals and two assists. However, he has now been recalled from that loan and moved to the Cards on a permanent basis.
Kendall began his career with QPR, but after a loan spell at Eastbourne, he got a taste of first-team football. He made his switch to the coast permanent, and after 11 goals in 16 outings, Lincoln City came knocking. The 23-year-old forward joined the Imps in January 2022 after impressing in the National League South. He was loaned back to his former employers, where he continued to score goals, before linking up with Lincoln City in the summer of 2022 – just as manager Michael Appleton left and Mark Kennedy came in.
Kendall appeared five times for the Imps last season, scoring in the League Cup, and fans had high hopes for his progress. He has since had a loan spell with Sutton United in League Two but struggled for game time, appearing seven times without a goal or assist. He was recalled a year ago, moving to Bromley, where he appeared 11 times, scoring once.
He played in a handful of pre-season matches for the Imps, scoring as they beat Boston United 7-0, but he was sent out on loan again, having dropped down the pecking order at Sincil Bank. Even with their striker injury crisis, there was no talk of his recall this winter, unlike Freddie Draper, who returned to the LNER Stadium a fortnight ago.
He joins a Woking side just one place above the relegation spots in the National League, three points behind Dagenham.
Writer’s View
“Charley Kendall scores goals” – that was the shout from Imps fans after he bagged within 20 minutes of his debut against Doncaster Rovers.
Sadly, since then, his progress has been patchy. His loan spell at Sutton was meant to give him a route into the first team, but instead, he sat on the bench. Bromley seemed a good switch, but they had a strong team, settled and fighting for promotion, and he acted as cover and very little else.
Dagenham was always the last chance saloon for the youngster, and it hasn’t quite gone his way. It hasn’t been a bad loan – five goal involvements are his best return since his Eastbourne loan, but the Imps have opted to cash in now rather than continue to loan him out.
Kendall is a natural finisher, but he perhaps lacked the physicality needed in the Football League. However, if he does get a regular run of games, there’s no reason why he can’t get among the goals once more and reignite his career.
Founder and Editor-in-Chief at The Real EFL, Gary is a passionate Lincoln City fan with extensive content creation across the Championship and EFL. He also shares expert football betting tips.
