Lincoln City: 25-year-old cited for "lack of impact" and claim made on Ethan Hamilton | OneFootball

FLW's Lincoln City pundit identifies two players who haven't lived up to his hope this season.

This article is part of Football League World's 'Terrace Talk' series, which provides personal opinions from our FLW Fan Pundits regarding the latest breaking news, teams, players, managers, potential signings and more…

Lincoln City's strong end-of-season form in 2023-24 has not carried over into the current campaign, with the Imps struggling to keep pace with the play-off contenders.

After making a solid start to the season, a poor run of form in December and January has put them under pressure, and since then, catching up has never seemed a realistic prospect.

However, their league status appears all but secure, with just a few more points needed to guarantee safety. This will allow Michael Skubala to start planning for next season, with both supporters and the club's management hopeful of mounting a challenge at the top end of the table in 2025-26.

Lincoln City pundit outlines disappointment with key players

Speaking to their Lincoln City pundit, Gary Hutchinson, Football League World asked the Imps supporter which player has surprised him the most, either positively or negatively.

"There are a couple of players who have surprised me negatively this season, and it is one or two of the big professionals who have faded in the second half of the campaign," said Hutchinson.

"Ethan Hamilton was a midfielder who, at one point, I thought was as important to us as Ethan Erhahon. He was injured at the end of last season but didn’t come back at the beginning of this one, as it took him a while to get back into the fold.

"I don't think he has been the same player he was last season, which is a real blow because he is someone we expected really big things from.

"Ben House, likewise - injured for much of last season but started really well at the beginning of this campaign before picking up an injury and drifting out of the side.

"Since he has come back in, it is not through lack of effort, but I have been surprised at the lack of impact he has had, particularly since Christmas.

"These are two players who I thought would be big, senior figures for us this season, but they perhaps haven’t risen to the occasion as expected."

House and Hamilton have disappointed for Michael Skubala

Ben House remains a key part of Skubala's side, but it’s fair to say that, since the turn of the year, he has struggled to influence games - much like the rest of the team.

An attacker accustomed to finding the net, he has not scored since 14th December, and his form from the 2022-23 season now feels like a distant memory.

For Hamilton, it has arguably been an even more disappointing season. The faith shown in the 25-year-old last campaign has not been repeated, and he has started in just under half of the matches he has played.

Imps seem unlikely for the rest of the campaign.