Lincoln City should push to beat Huddersfield Town to Luton Town deal in January | OneFootball

The answer to the question of how to fix Lincoln City's issues might just come in January.

Lincoln City are struggling in front of goal, and the answer to the question of how to fix it might just come in January.

They should push to beat fellow Sky Bet League One side Huddersfield Town in a race to secure the signature of Joe Taylor.

The forward, who spent the second half of last season on loan at the LNER Stadium, is certain to be a hot topic again in January. And, with the Imps continuing to struggle in the goalscoring column, Taylor is the perfect addition.

A potential two-horse race for Luton Town’s Joe Taylor

If Lincoln City do dip their toe back into the water, they will seemingly have to beat Huddersfield to the punch. The Terriers attempted to poach Taylor in the summer, but failed to get the deal over the line.

Recently relegated Luton Town have kept hold of the 21-year-old, but he has seen just substitute appearances in the Sky Bet Championship this season. The Welsh prospect is yet to start a game in the second tier this term and was left on the bench in last night's 2-1 win against Stoke City.

Journalist Alan Nixon has reported that Huddersfield are keen to make a second stab at signing the striker, after proving his goalscoring talent in League One in the first half of 2024.

Lincoln City struggles in front of goal

In the 20+ games Lincoln City have played so far this season, their top marksman sits on just six goals. That is Sheffield Wednesday loanee Bailey Cadamarteri, who netted the winner in a 1-0 victory over Morecambe in the Vertu Trophy this week.

Meanwhile, Ben House has been in and out of the team due to injuries, but has more goals than any other Lincoln player in the league. His four goals puts him ahead of the pack, with Cadamarteri and wing-back Tendayi Darikwa both one behind.

The Imps are missing a true goalscorer - someone who makes something happen, grab a game by the scruff of its neck, or score when given just a half chance.

Joe Taylor did that for Michael Skubala’s side last season.

He was recalled from his League Two loan by Luton at the midpoint of the season, but had already netted 12 times by then.

Taylor continued his form, jumping up a division from Colchester United to the Imps, scoring a further ten in just 19 additional games.

The former Peterborough United man took his time to get going, though, waiting until his sixth game to secure his first goal. But, Taylor did not look back from that point on.

The Welshman even scored a first career hat-trick, collecting the matchball in a drubbing of Bristol Rovers.

Joe Taylor is the obvious answer for Lincoln City

Joe Taylor is the name on a lot of lips with January just around the corner. Imps fans have noticed a decreased sharpness in the final third, with the free-flowing football that produced a 16 game unbeaten run in the back-end of last season replaced with a more mixed, long-ball orientated approach.

That has caused trouble, with goals being harder to come by in the majority of games.

Jovon Makama has cruelly become the target of most anger surrounding the lack of goals, but he simply is not ready to be thrust into League One football so regularly. He is a true talent, one with a bright future, but needs time in a lower division to hone his craft.

Freddie Draper is much the same. He excelled at Walsall last season, but could not hit the heights when stepping up to League One following a recall from loan.

Lincoln had failed to score in half of their last six games across all competitions before the aforementioned win over Morecambe. Tyler Walker returned to the field of play during that game for his first minutes since a cameo appearance on the final day of last season.

With the recovering Walker only just on his way back into contention, the best option might just be to dive headfirst into the January transfer window in search of Taylor.