Ex-Lincoln City forward Jack Vale has been loaned out to spend the rest of the season with Scottish Premiership side Motherwell.
The Welsh youth international has been sent north of the border by parent club Blackburn Rovers, following the end of his spell at Sincil Bank at the start of 2023/24. The 22-year-old scored just once from 17 league appearances for the Imps, in a 3-0 win over Cambridge United.
Vale now moves to a Motherwell side struggling at the bottom end of the Scottish top flight, currently in ninth place. He links up with his Rovers team-mate Georgie Gent, who arrived in the summer also on loan.
Speaking to the club after his arrival at Fir Park, The former Barrow player said: “I’m really happy to be here.
“I’ve seen how well Georgie has done here and I want to try and do something similar. I want to use this loan move to try and get myself more first-team appearances at Blackburn. I can’t wait to meet all the fans this weekend.”
It is the striker’s first venture outside of the English leagues, having also played for Rochdale in League One and FC Halifax Town in the National League. Despite his struggle in scoring in his club career, Vale has been consistent for his national side, scoring three goals in seven Under 21 Euros Qualification matches in 2023.
The Scottish club have struggled going forward this season, with their top scorer being Thelonius Blair with six goals. The next forward is former Swindon Town player Jonathan Obika, with one solitary goal against Celtic.
Well manager Stuart Kettlewell added:
“It’s great to get Jack in as he plays in an area of the pitch we have been desperately trying to recruit. He has got plenty experience at Championship level for a boy his age and he is highly regarded of at Blackburn.
“Jack has found the back of the net regularly at Under 21 level in England and this loan will provide him with a platform and opportunity to do the same again in Scotland.”
Writer’s View
Jack Vale has not had the best form of his career over the past few months, so perhaps a change of scenery is what he needs going forward. His spell at Sincil Bank was highlighted by a horrific stat; in his 17 league appearances for the Imps, he had three shots in total. With Lincoln City moving in a different direction with the return of Freddie Draper from Walsall, and the signing of Joe Taylor, the Welsh international was inevitably going to end up somewhere else.
Motherwell already has experience with Blackburn’s young players, and Jon Dahl Tomasson’s side clearly are repaying that trust. The Steelmen are in desperate need of scoring more of their chances going into the second half of the season to avoid a relegation scrap. Vale may not be the most prolific of scorers, but he will certainly have something to prove following his past experience at Lincoln.
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