Danny Hone deserves his chance to impress

By Nathan Jackson
January 1 2011

Danny Hone's loan spell at Darlington has now finished and he is expected to be in the squad that travels to Northampton on Monday, but I think that he should be starting the game after the shamblic attempts to defend by Moses Swaibu and Adam Watts.

Lincoln's defending is often shambolic, but the efforts against Bradford City were atrocious. Moses Swaibu has often been the source of goals for the opposition and the game against Bradford was no difference. When he's not too busy buying, or at least "buying" cooked chickens from Tescos, it seems evident that Swaibu doesn't do enough preparations for games. He was at fault for the first goal today and he has cost the Imps several goals this season.

It all started at Rotherham this season when instead of staying in the middle of the area and leaving two of his fellow defenders to deal with it, Swaibu runs off to help the other two, leaving Ian Pearce to deal with five attacking players on his own. The below is that goal, Swaibu is the third Lincoln player going left to right, look at what he has left Ian Pearce to deal with.

Surely with a such a poor defender, you have to look at giving Danny Hone a chance. The young defender was playing consistently for just under two years before Chris Sutton came along, so Sutton saying that Hone going on loan for vital experience was a bit of a joke, then again, Sutton himself was a joke. The Imps were comfortable in midtable when was in the first team......the club have been regular relegation candidates since Swaibu came into the side as a first team regular.

Hone has been involved in eight clean sheets for Darlington this season and the Imps had five clean sheets from the eighteen League games involving Hone came last season. Swaibu has played in thirteen matches this season and the only two that saw City keep a clean sheet were two 0-0 draws. Infact, the last four games that City played with Swaibu in the side that City didn't concede in all ended 0-0. The Imps have only kept 12 clean sheets in the 61 games that Swaibu has played for the club, six of which have finished 0-0.

Hone has reportedly been one of the better players for Darlington this season and many of their fans wanted him permanently and he deserves his chance at Sincil Bank. As Tilson's transfer targets include a defender, he must at least consider Hone as a