Lincoln City missed a trick by not using Grimsby Town link to secure perfect Sean Roughan replacement | OneFootball

Lincoln City missed a trick when they did not tap into a Grimsby Town link in order to secure the perfect replacement for Sean Roughan.

Lincoln City may have missed a massive trick when they did not tap into a Grimsby Town link in order to secure the perfect replacement for the outgoing Sean Roughan.

The Imps have recently poached a key member of the Mariners's recruitment staff, and then-Town left-back Denver Hume presented a strong option to fix the gap left by Roughan’s move to League One rivals Huddersfield Town.

However, League Two side Fleetwood Town swooped in to sign the impressive full-back after he rejected a new deal at Blundell Park - have Lincoln missed out on a perfect fit?

Denver Hume could have been perfect recruit for Lincoln City

Hume has impressed during his stay at Grimsby, managing to put disappointing spells at Sunderland and Portsmouth behind him in order to become an exciting, attack-minded defender that ranked as one of the best in the fourth tier.

The left-back, who is capable of playing in a more advanced role on the left flank, managed a dozen assists across the 2024/25 Sky Bet League Two campaign, while creating 96 chances and delivering 101 successful crosses.

Those are impressive numbers from the 26-year-old EFL Trophy winner, who originally joined the Mariners on a free transfer.

He was set to be out of contract at Town, with a new contract offer tabled for the left-back.

Hume had signed an extension last summer, but rejected a deal 12 months on, with Fleetwood presenting an opportunity he decided to pursue.

The defender is hitting a prime age, having both experience and plenty of miles left in the tank at what would account for the usual midpoint of a footballer’s career.

The path from Grimsby to Lincoln is a well-trodden one. Goalkeeper Joe Wright headed to the League Two outfit in recent memory and Charles Vernan spent time on the books of both. Although, any potenial move for Hume did not come.

Grimsby Town links should have been used by Lincoln City to complete Denver Hume raid

Joe Hutchinson returned to Lincoln as head of talent identification after a reshuffle of the Imps’ recruitment staff, with chief scout and loans manager Marc Tracy taking up a position at Luton Town.

The returning recruitment specialist spent two-and-half-years at Grimsby, with spells at Hull City and the Football Association also on his resume, aside from the initial stint he enjoyed at the LNER Stadium.

Hutchinson was a part of the backroom staff that helped the Imps push all the way to the League One play-off final in 2020/21, with the likes of current Tottenham Hotspur star Brennan Johnson and Aston Villa attacker Morgan Rogers being added on loan ahead of that successful term.

Lincoln missed a trick in not playing into their new head of talent ID’s ties to Grimsby, not securing what could have been the perfect replacement for Roughan.

The Irishman played every minute of City’s League One and FA Cup campaigns last term, earning a move to promotion-chasers Huddersfield Town that saw Lincoln receive a compensation fee.

He could play centrally, which Hume has not done at Grimsby, but his attacking prowess is something that the Town left-back can replicate.

Roughan was always keen to race down the touchline and curl in a dangerous cross. That describes Hume’s game succinctly as well, reinforcing the idea that he would have slotted seamlessly into the Imps line-up.