Thank you Paul

By Nathan Jackson
May 19 2007

Paul Morgan ended his Lincoln City career on Thursday evening against Bristol Rovers after 6 fantastic years at the club, 4 of those spent as captain. Due to leave in the summer, he will depart as one of just two player who have played during the last 5 years of heartache and it is unfortunate that his final game was one of the worst collective defensive displays in years.

Paul was one of the few good things that Alan Buckley did at this club, bringing him in from Preston North End at the beginning of the 2001/2 season. He only ever made one appearance for Preston and that was in the League Cup.

He became a vital part in the Imps defence, missing only a small handful of games in his debut season. It would be a bad year for the Imps as City finished 22nd, just 2 places above relegated Halifax. It it wasn't for Morgan then we could possibly have been relegated to the Conference.

He was one of the few to survive the pre-season cull and under new manager Keith Alexander, former assistant to Alan Buckley, he was a first choice first-teamer along with Stuart Bimson, Ben Futcher, Simon Weaver and Mark Bailey, a 5 man defence that only conceded 37 goals in the 2002/3 season. That defence became the 3rd lowest conceding defence in Lincoln's history, with only the 1901/2 and 1980/1 squads conceding fewer goals.

Paul started the season like any other, but after Keith Alexander tinkered with the captaincy, he gave it to Morgan in mid-September and he kept it for another 4 years, including leading City out to 2 playoff finals in the Millennium Stadium.

He however lost the captaincy to injuries and suspensions mounting up. Morgan got sent off 4 times in his Imps' career, the most for a Lincoln City player for some time. He initially lost his captaincy to the 2005/6 Player of the Season, Jamie McCombe. He did regain it at the start of this season but then lost it again, this time to Scott Kerr.

Morgan scored just twice in his 6 years, his first against Darlington in 2001 and his second came in the frantic trip to Torquay earlier this season.

It is extremely likely that Paul Morgan will leave the club in the summer to play nearer Manchester so he can undertake a physiotherapy course in his spare time. His likely destination is Bury, a club that former Imps' manager, Keith Alexander, recently became Director of Football at.

Theimps.tk would like to wish Paul Morgan all the best for the future and I'm sure you'll be giving a warm reception when/if you return with another club. Thank you for 6 great years.