By Nathan Jackson
September 30 2006

With Nicky Eaden's loan spell now over, he has been far from popular at Sincil Bank but he's not the first loan flop. In the last few years, City have loaned some players who didn't even play so who ranks up along with Eaden as a complete waste of a loan signing in recent times?

TYRONE THOMPSON

A Sheffield United midfielder who promised much when he made his debut in the LDV Vans victory over York City in 2002/3 but his only other appearance came in the next round when City went out to Shrewsbury.

DARREN DYKES

Young Darren joined the Imps from Swindon Town a few days before Christmas in 2002 and made his debut in a 1-1 draw at York, a game that ironically features another failed loanee signing (see below). He then played in two 1-0 victories over Macclesfield Town and Swansea City before being dropped all together and being returned to Swindon and for a supposed striker, he had one shot in those 3 games and touched the ball just a further 4 times.

STEVE WATTS

The Leyton Orient striker had a good record against the Imps so he joined City on loan in December 2002, City fans were optimistic that something might finally happen for a shot shy City side. He made his debut for the Imps in a 2-2 draw at home to Cambridge and then 8 minutes into the 1-1 draw at York mentioned in the Dykes section, he scored the Imps opener although the keeper should surely have done a lot better. He went on to play a further 3 times during his loan spell but he very rarely contributed and then had the nerve to slag the club off to the Echo. He is currently and deservedly playing in the non-league.

LUCAS CORNWALL

This was a rarity under Keith Alexander, a loan signing that showed ambition. Cornwall came online from Premiership side Fulham but he proved far from Premiership quality. Making his debut in a home game against Shrewsbury in the 2002/3 season, he didn’t inspire a lot of people and in the 3 appearances that followed after that, he proved to be a prime candidate for a the major loanee flop of recent times.

SHAYNE BRADLEY

Now Shayne was a youngish player when he joined us and was yet again a striker (are you starting to notice a pattern with these loanees?). Funnily enough, for a loanee that was relatively unsuccessful, the Imps won every game he played in. A 3-0 win over Hartlepool was followed by a 1-0 victory at Southend before he scored the winner against Kidderminster at Sincil Bank. However, a few weeks later and City were due to play Bristol Rovers and Shayne complained that he didn’t feel to well. So Keith Alexander dropped him and replaced him with fellow loanee, Danny Webb (who doesn’t feature on this list) who went on to score the Imps first in a 2-1 win. Shayne was subsequently sent back to Chesterfield and retired soon afterwards due to injury.

BEN MARTIN

You know what Keith was like with his tall defenders and Ben Martin was the biggest of them all, a huge 6ft 8 player who joined on loan from Swindon Town in the 2003/4 season but didn’t play a single minute of football for the Imps, making him arguably the most pointless loan signing to date.

GREG PEARSON

What is it about Keith’s loanee strikers? Greg Pearson joined the Imps with a big reputation as a respected young striker from West Ham United, however, the only thing he did in his 5 appearances at Sincil Bank was smash the ball against Gary Taylor-Fletcher’s face in a game against Notts County at the beginning of 2004/5. A year later and he scored an equaliser against the Imps for Rushden and Diamonds.

NATHAN PEAT

I’m a bit reluctant to put Peat in here to be honest because he was injured most of the time he was here and he actually played quite well for most of that time but when he recovered from injury, he didn’t even make the bench and made it seem like a waste of a loan signing, that despite him making 10 appearances in the 2004/5 season.

KARL BERMINGHAM

Another young striker who joined the Imps with a big reputation at Premiership reserve level. He played about 20 minutes of one game for the Imps (a 3-1 defeat at Rochdale in 2004/5) and then went back to Manchester City

GUY IPOUA

Oh dear, he was awful to say the least but somehow managed to play 6 games during a 2 month spell at the club on loan from Doncaster in 2004/5.

MEHETA MOLANGO

I was one of the few that saw his impressive pre-season games before the 2005/6 season an even score him score several times for the Imps. He joined the Imps on loan from Brighton after that successful trial spell during pre-season but he couldn’t adjust to life in the football league and was quickly dropped. He did however score his one and only goal for the Imps in a 5-1 win over Crewe in the Carling Cup.