The one missing puzzle piece for Lincoln City ahead of new League One season | OneFootball

There is still a puzzle piece missing for the Imps at left-back.

Michael Skubala has added two defenders to his Lincoln City squad this summer, but there is still a puzzle piece missing for the Imps.

Lincoln finished 11th in the last Sky Bet League One term, slipping from a play-off challenging seventh-place the season prior.

Since, they have lost key players like captain Paudie O'Connor, and are yet to find the pieces to fill in the gaps left.

Lincoln City are still missing a key piece of the puzzle

The Imps have so far only added two names to their squad, with experienced 33-year-old defender Sonny Bradley joining at the end of his contract with Derby County, and Ryan Towler signing for an undisclosed fee from Portsmouth. They helped patch up the centre of City's defence after O'Connor's exit.

Towler is a left-sided defender, who at 23 years old has plenty of gas left in the tank, and can deputise at left-back in a pinch. It remains true that it is far from his best position.

In fact, the left-sided defender in a three is as far away from the heart of defence as Lincoln would likely be most comfortable playing him.

That leaves a gap at left-back, with that particular puzzle piece yet to be found this summer by the Imps. It comes after Sean Roughan exited the club.

The Irishman, who played every minute of both league and FA Cup football last season, left for a compensation fee at the end of his contract in Lincolnshire. Now at Huddersfield Town, he has a shot at promotion into the Championship, but he has left a gaping hole for his former side to fill.

At left-back, Tom Hamer is the only suitable option at present. The ex-Burton Albion defender is comfortable all across the back-line, and does help ease some concerns with his versatility, but he is far from being the solution to the problem.

Dom Jefferies has played at left wing-back during parts of the most recent campaign, but that is not his favoured position.

Skubala has often talked about planning for games as being a puzzle, looking to find the way that the pieces slot in to defeat an opponent. Now, in his transfer business, he has a more complex puzzle to complete.

Replacing a player who has been an ever-present is no easy feat, to add to the fact that he leaves behind next to no options in his left-back position.

In other transfer news, Zak Bradshaw has joined Cambridge United, who have been relegated to the fourth tier, after not playing a single game for the Imps. He would have been a potential choice at left-back, but the club seemingly see his future elsewhere, despite retaining an interest in his future services.

That leaves Hamer as the only recognised option on the left side of a back-four for Lincoln, while the Imps have reportedly taken a player on trial during pre-season preparations.

It has been revealed by the trusted Lincoln fan-site StaceyWest Blog that Zach Nolan, who most recently lined-up for League of Ireland side Bray Wanderers, is on trial with the Imps. That perhaps indicated that City see the need to recruit a new left-sided defender too.