Colchester United appointed Danny and Nicky Cowley earlier this month, and the pair have wasted no time in making reinforcements to their squad in a bid to climb their way out of a relegation battle.
The Essex-based outfit have already made moves this window, with three players coming in, one on a permanent and two loan signings.
However, the hierarchy have decided that these transfers were simply the start as the former Lincoln City manager has gone to his old club to sign Alistair Smith on loan for the rest of the season.
The midfielder joined the Imps in the summer from League Two club Sutton United, where he made 78 appearances for the side over two seasons, netting on 14 occasions.
The 24-year-old began his professional career at Mansfield Town before making loan moves to Kettering Town and Altrincham. He impressed in his short loan spell with the latter as he joined the side in January 2021 on a free transfer, before moving to Sutton for an undisclosed fee in July of that year.
Smith has struggled to find regular game time in his natural position this season due to several factors. Lincoln have primarily chosen to play a shape which only features two central midfield roles. This, as well as the ability of Michael Skubala’s other options, such as Ethan Hamilton and Ethan Erhahon, has meant that the former Mansfield man has made most of his appearances off the bench, totalling 25 matches played, yet only 12 starts.
This move does present a possible squad selection headache for the Cowley brothers however as they now have six loanees registered at the club.
The U’s travel to Morecambe this weekend in a bid to bridge a gap to the bottom two sides in League Two.
Writer’s View
This move seems to be a perfect one for all parties as Colchester gets a player who has shown his ability in League Two previously for the rest of the season, whilst Ali Smith will hopefully earn more playing time than he’s been able to find at the LNER Stadium.
Although this move is also of benefit to Lincoln, as they can ensure that the player gets the minutes he needs to develop, this could also create an issue in the depth of their midfield options, therefore they may wish to dip into the market themselves.
