George Wickens, Conor McGrandles and Ryley Towler have signed new contracts at Lincoln City.
Goalkeeper, Wickens has signed a new three-year contract until June 2029 following a successful two years at the club in which he kept 29 clean sheets in 86 appearances, of which 19 clean sheets were achieved in the Imps’ successful promotion-winning campaign in League One last season.
The 24-year-old goalkeeper is now proud to tie down his future with the Imps and is relishing the season ahead despite Michael Skubala’s exit as manager.
There are so many positives around the club and city at the minute, and I’m proud to have been part of it. After what we achieved last season, I’m excited for what’s to come and the challenge we’ll face in the Championship.
“It’s important to have that security, but I also think it’s quite rare in football to feel as settled as I do. I don’t take that for granted. I feel really settled around the place with the lads, and my partner and I have got a nice home here as well. It’s something I’m really grateful for and I’m looking forward to next season.”
“We’ve been on a really good journey over the last two years, and obviously what we achieved last season was special. I feel like we can do something special again this year, so it’s exciting.
“We’ve got a really good mix of players and staff, and we’re all one close-knit group. That really showed during the training camp in Spain. We’ve had a great time together and it’s something you don’t take for granted – how strong the relationships are between everyone.
“I’ve got a really good relationship with our goalkeeping coach David Preece, not just on the pitch but off it as well. We’ve built a strong relationship, and I know I can go to him about anything. I’m looking forward to working with him again this season and continuing to build on that.”
McGrandles meanwhile has signed a new two-year contract until June 2028 with option for a further year, having scored twice in 95 appearances across the last two seasons, after he failed to net in five appearances on loan in the second half of 2023-24 season.
This however is his second spell with the Imps after he produced six goals in 96 appearances in his first spell between 2020-22, and McGrandles is happy to commit his future to the club.
“It feels amazing. To get this done on the back of last season and how well everything went is really good, and I’m looking forward to the times ahead.
“It was a great season for me personally, but it was for the whole team and for the club. A lot of that comes down to the environment the club has created, the staff have created, and the players have created. When you’re playing alongside the quality of players we’ve got, it makes your job a lot easier.”
The 30-year-old midfielder however is wary of the challenge ahead this season in the Championship and feels that the Imps can cause a surprise.
“We understand how difficult parts of this season are going to be, so we’re not naive. But we’re all excited about the challenge.
“If we approach the season with the same mindset and attitude we had last year, I think we can surprise a few people. Looking at where the club is now and the players we’ve already got in the squad, I’m really confident we can do something good this season.”
Defender, Towler meanwhile has signed a new four-year contract until June 2030 after just one season at the club in which he scored one goal in 48 appearances, and the 24-year-old is happy to have committed his future on a fresh contract.
“I’m buzzing. Since I’ve come in I’ve loved every minute of it. All the players and staff have been absolutely brilliant with me, so as soon as I knew a new contract could happen, I wanted to get it sorted straight away.
“I don’t think many people on the outside expected us to have the season we did. But after a couple of weeks of training with the lads every day, seeing the quality we had and working with the staff, I knew we were capable of doing something special.”
Towler has previous Championship experience with Bristol City and Portsmouth so is wary of the challenge to stay up this season.
“It’s a really tough league, there’s no doubt about that. But we’ve got quality and I think the way we play will really suit us.
“Everyone at this club – the players and the staff – want to be at this level, and we want to stay here. It’s exciting to test ourselves against some top teams.”
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