Cian Bolger’s departure to Northampton Town marks the end of an unsettling period in his career as a footballer. The portent that all was not going to be straight forward was a war of words between Joey Barton and Danny Cowley, well mainly a bitter Joey Barton, as the ink was still drying on Cian’s new contract. Apparently Barton took umbrage that The Imps were claiming to have snapped up the highly-rated defensive rock on a free transfer.
Cian was heralded by Danny as a top level League 1 defender and his signing as a bit of a coup. First impressions were that he fitted the mould as an aerially dominant physical specimen in the style so liked by Cowley, maybe lacking a yard of pace but a solid if unspectacular performer nonetheless.
Sadly for Cian, like Wharton before him, he quickly became the patsy of the defence and whenever Shackell and Bostwick were fit they were invariably preferred regardless of how he was performing or the team results. Statistically, Cian had a point, as others have pointed out when he played the results were better.
The writing was on the wall when Michael Appleton took over the LNER reigns making it clear that The Imps were going to be playing football out from the back and the incumbents would shape up to that style or ship out. Once again Cian found himself as the fall guy and his appearances invariably depended on who else was fit.
Not a natural ball-playing centre half his situation wasn’t helped by having to play on the left side on occasion which only served to make him look a little cumbersome at times. Even so from a defensive perspective he continued to be reliable and was often one of the better performers during the at-times tricky switch of style and players under the new regime.
Michael Appleton has signed a number of new central defenders and there was some speculation that maybe The Imps were going to switch to three at the back. That was quickly quashed when Appleton came out and stated Cian would be allowed to move on if he found himself a club; step forward Northampton Town.
Cian never really had a settled run at Lincoln and it was possibly a case of the wrong club at the wrong time. However, he remained professional, honest and dignified throughout his tenure. He did ‘exactly what it says on the tin’ he just wasn’t the diamond seal variety of paint that Michael Appleton wanted to paint his new house with.
Cian moves on with his reputation as a good defender intact and possibly he has found a new home incorporating the direct, physical approach of Northampton’s Curle where his playing strengths should be to the fore.
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Thank you to Graham Burrell and Lincoln City Football Club for the photograph!
"Cian Bolger's departure to Northampton Town marks the end of an unsettling period in his career as a footballer."https://t.co/YdycAdycBs#NTFC #ImpsAsOne pic.twitter.com/UHZvW6N7ko
— Vital Lincoln City (@VitalLincoln) August 22, 2020
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