Lincoln City confirm managerial appointment

Lincoln City have announced the arrival of Mark Kennedy as the club’s new head coach, replacing Michael Appleton in the dugout at Sincil Bank.

The Imps have opted for the 45-year-old former Republic of Ireland international footballer, who was the assistant head coach to Lee Bowyer at Birmingham City between June 2021 and today.

Kennedy’s playing career saw him ply his trade for the likes of Liverpool, Wimbledon, Manchester City and Wolves in the Premier League, before ending his career at Ipswich Town.

It was at the Tractor Boys where Kennedy took up coaching for the first time, becoming the manager of their under-21’s between 2012 and 2016 before moving to Man City’s academy.

After two years at City, Kennedy left and then became a coach for Wolves’ under-23’s, before then receiving his first and only experience as a first-team manager when being appointed at League Two outfit Macclesfield Town.

Kennedy was unable to keep the financially-stricken club in the Football League and then departed in August 2020 after rejecting a new contract.

Speaking on Kennedy’s appointment, Imps chairman Clive Nates told the club’s official media channels: “Over the course of many hours of interviews, we have been hugely impressed by Mark’s knowledge, energy, drive and passion.

“We know that he is a highly respected coach, and in the interview process, he impressed us with his desire to improve and develop players while creating an aggressive, attacking style of play that we believe will be successful in League One and excite our fans at the LNER Stadium.

“We believe that Mark can flourish within our structure and help to create the culture and environment to maximise the potential of our squad.”

The Verdict

Many Lincoln fans were