With the opening of the January transfer window, exciting 22-year-old forward Jack Moylan has now joined Lincoln City.
He has impressed during his time in the League of Ireland, leading Shelbourne to European qualification last season.
Bill Gaine, owner and founder of the Irish Football Blog believes Imps fans can expect a lot from Moylan. He said: “What Lincoln fans can look forward to is a brilliant dribbler who is an absolute joy to watch taking on players and going past them.”
The forward was the joint top-scorer in last season’s League of Ireland, notching 15 goals across the league campaign, and one further goal in cup competitions.
Bill described Moylan as a hugely versatile player, having played in a wide range of attacking positions across his still fledgling career.
He added: “He’s been prolific enough throughout his career and I’d be surprised if that didn’t continue at Lincoln after 16 goals and 4 assists in 38 games for Shelbourne last season, a side who wouldn’t be the most attacking in the division.”
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Bill said: “Moylan is a brilliant dribbler, a player who will really get fans off their feet going past players, creating chances and getting shots away. It’s why some fans have jokingly called him Jack Moylan ‘Messi’.”
Moylan is the newest of Lincoln’s Irish recruits, joining the likes of Danny Mandroiu, captain Paudie O’Connor and Dylan Duffy, who he spent time with in junior football.
The former Bohemians man starred in a much-heralded season in Ireland. Bill pinpoints a game-winning hat-trick in a 3-2 victory over UCD and a brace in a 4-2 win at Drogheda as crucial in ensuring Damien Duff’s side qualified for European football.
He added: “For me the moment which stands out about Moylan is almost single handedly getting Shelbourne into Europe with his form, especially in the final few weeks of the season.”
The Imps will be hoping Moylan can go some way in solving the crippling attacking shortage they have suffered with this season.
Bill said: “The thing about Jack is his attitude. He’s so hard working and never stops running for the team. Moylan has worked under Damien Duff, who is a strict disciplinarian, and if he didn’t have the right mental talents to go with his technical ability he wouldn’t have succeeded at Shelbourne.”
He heaped the praise on Lincoln’s new man, referencing a certain Wes Hoolahan in comparison to the up-and-coming Moylan.
“I believe he’s one of the best attacking midfield talents to come out of the league in a long long time. You might be familiar with a certain Wes Hoolahan and his rise, that’s all I’ll say about that,” he said.
Lincoln needed a boost to their squad, with ten players absent through injury after their New Year’s Day loss at Blackpool.
The adaptable Moylan could patch up some of the Imps’ issues, as Michael Skubala’s side search for a first win since November. He has been training with City for over six weeks, since the League of Ireland season came to a close.
“While he works well in a number of roles and has an excellent work ethic I do think he’s best suited to the attacking midfield role where he would likely get the most freedom to go about his magic,” Bill said.
That position is where the young Moylan has played over half of his senior games.
“He’s a talented boy who can play an awful lot of roles and his attitude and application is unquestionable.”
Lincoln City will be hoping their newest recruit from the Emerald Isle can hit the ground running and help the Imps call an end to their seven game winless run.
Feature Image Credit: Chris Vaughan/Lincoln City