Lincoln City youth duo Jovon Makama and Hayden Cann have joined fellow Lincolnshire club Gainsborough Trinity on a season-long loan.
The 17-year-old pair were regular features during the Imps’ pre-season campaign, with Makama making the bench for Lincoln’s Carabao Cup tie against Shrewsbury Town on Tuesday.
Both signed their first professional contracts at Lincoln City within the last year, and will also be eligible to play in FA Youth Cup games for Lincoln during their loan spell at Gainsborough Trinity.
The move is likely to have been made more possible by the arrival of former Imps under-18s coach Tom Shaw becoming Gainsborough manager in April.
Jovon and Hayden will be hoping for first team action at Trinity, who play in the Northern Premier League, step three of the non-league football pyramid.
Imps Director of Football, Jez George, said: “These loans are an opportunity for Hayden and Jovon to gain valuable experience at a senior level which will be far more beneficial to them than playing in our youth side on Saturdays.”
Gainsborough Trinity fell to a 4-2 loss at the hands of Peterborough Sports on Saturday afternoon in the third qualifying round for the FA Trophy.
Goals from Joshua Moreman, Paul Malone, Maniche Sani and an own goal from Trinity debutant Matt Baker was enough to knock the Holy Blues out of the FA Trophy at the first time of asking.
The Holy Blues with a threadbare squad, stretched to the limit, saw a recall for Declan Bacon and places on the bench for three of the fledgling U21s side, namely Scott Hutchinson, Brad Ronis and Taylor Karkach, the younger brother of former Trinity youngster Lynton.
Trinity began the match the sharpest of the two sides, with Bacon looking lively from the offset following his return from his loan spell at Mickleover FC.
Any Trinity momentum was quickly halted however, as the hosts took the lead after four minutes. The Turbines’ number 11 was able to meet a cross, from Dion Sembie Ferris, at the back post and fire home from close range to give his side an early lead.
Trinity then continued to look bright in the early stages of the match, however the Turbines were able to double their lead ten minutes later through defender Paul Malone.
Given time and space, Malone was able to turn in the box and beat Tom Jackson, low to the goalkeeper’s left.
Curtis Woodhouse’s side then managed to pull a goal back before half-time through captain, Simon Ainge.
Trinity captain Simon Ainge got on the scoresheet for Gainsborough. | Photo: KLS Photography
His third goal in as many games was driven low into the corner and presented the Turbines’ keeper with very little chance.
The Holy Blues managed to pull back level early in the second half through AJ Greaves’ first goal of the season.
His strike in the 54th minute appeared to come out of nowhere as he raced away down the right, latching on to Keaton Ward’s clever ball, and flashed the ball into the goalkeeper’s left hand corner and into the net.
However, the Holy Blues’ hard work to pull back level was quickly undone when Sano Sani’s strike beat Tom Jackson two minutes after their equaliser.
Trinity failed to clear the ball and presented the Turbines with an opportunity to regain the lead which they capitalised on.
The home side then regained their two goal cushion following a quickly taken throw-in, in the 66th minute.
The ball was deflected off of the head of the Trinity debutant, Matt Baker, the ball looping over the head of the stranded Jackson and into the Trinity net.
Having fallen two behind, Woodhouse turned to his bench and blooded the young trio, handing a quarter of an hour to Hutchinson, who ran himself into the ground during his short cameo, giving the opposition little let up, while Karkach and Ronis both got ten minutes and will be better for their experience with the first team.
Full- time, Peterborough Sports 4 Gainsborough Trinity 2.
Gainsborough Trinity’s unbeaten home start to the Pitching In Northern Premier League campaign came to an abrupt end on Saturday evening as Witton Albion ran out 3-1 winners on a warm Autumn afternoon on the Northolme.
Despite taking an early lead, the Holy Blues were undone by three defensive errors, with the visitors clinical in taking the chances presented to them to head back to Cheshire with all three points.
Curtis Woodhouse made just the one change to the side that had beaten Whitby Town 5-1 in the side’s previous outing.
Gainsborough only had one goal to celebrate against Witton Albion. | Photo: KLS Photography
AJ Greaves coming back into the starting line-up, replacing Martyn Woolford, who dropped to the bench. Alex Wiles was named amongst the substitutes, having recovered from his muscle injury picked up in the FA Cup defeat to AFC Mansfield.
