Lincoln City supporters were far from inspired when Jack Diamond arrived at Sincil Bank earlier this summer. That's according to Gary Hutchinson of The Stacey West blog, a Lincoln City writer who has kept a close eye on the Sunderland winger over recent seasons.
Now four games into his Imps tenure, Diamond has been a bright spark for Mark Kennedy's side. Quickly silencing any early doubters with four goals in three league appearances.
Chronicle Live spoke with The Stacey West blog for an insight into how the Sunderland loanee has fared at Sincil Bank.
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Did you know much about Diamond prior to his arrival and what was the general consensus when he signed?
Gary Hutchinson: "Yep, I'd followed Diamond's career from the Academy of Light to Harrogate; with former Imp Simon Weaver in the hot seat there, it was of particular interest to see how he got on. I thought Jack tore City apart in 2020/21 when Sunderland won 4-0 at Sincil Bank, and I was certain he'd go on to be a massive player for them.
"When he went back to Harrogate, it was a surprise, but they love him there, so when we bagged his signature, it felt like a real coup. After all, you don't sign many talented young players with so much experience.
"He arrived at a tough time for the Imps; some fans felt players like Hakeeb Adelakun had done enough not to be farmed out, and as with most clubs, there's a distrust of young players from other teams coming down into our league. The transfer window didn't seem to be going well, and words (which I hate) like underwhelming were used.
"After all, we signed Brennan Johnson and Morgan Rogers in 2020/21 and now some fans think we're going to be pulling in £10m-rated players on loan as standard. I'd heard some comments along the lines of 'if he wasn't good enough for Sunderland in League One, why is he good enough for us'.
"Personally, I was happy; his pace and directness are just what we need after a season of stifled, unimaginative attacking play last time out."
What position has he been playing, has he featured much and how has he settled in?
GH : "He's been played on the wing, and he played the day after joining City in the Papa John's Trophy. He seemed to settle quickly, but his second outing was a debacle, not for him but the whole team.
"We were beaten 2-0 at Cambridge, and we played really poorly. He had slipped a bit from fans' minds at that point; we'd sold Anthony Scully on deadline day, loaned out Charley Kendall and not brought in a striker, so a Sunderland reserve who couldn't break down Cambridge wasn't getting a lot of love.
"It wasn't personal, there was a huge amount of pessimism after that game with few positives to focus on. His next two games were utterly sensational.
"He was a thorn in Derby's side, winning the penalty that he then converted to give us the lead. We won that game 2-0 in front of almost 10,000, and those fans who hadn't seen him play realised his ability.
"At the time of writing, his last outing was against Bristol Rovers; he bagged a hat-trick and created one as we won 6-3 in a crazy game. It's fair to say he's now a firm fan favourite, purely because his attributes have been highlighted in front of a big home crowd, and he's got the goals to match the flair."
He had an impressive loan spell with Harrogate Town last year, it seems as though he's picked up where he left off in terms of goals?
GH: "He has, but let's not forget two have been penalties; that said, they were both good penalties which gave the keepers no chance. I think he'll get goals because he's willing to take a risk, he gets into the box, drops a shoulder to throw off a defender, and he's very single-minded.
"Against Derby, there were a couple of occasions where he went for glory rather than a less selfish ball, but that's not necessarily a bad thing. Anthony Scully didn't hit 15 in consecutive seasons for us by passing every time it was a better option; he went for goal. Jack Diamond does the same."
Would you say he's been a welcome surprise?
GH: "Absolutely he has been a welcome surprise. Some fans who follow football closely knew he'd offer something, but I don't think the level of ability and intent he has was entirely expected even by me.
"I remember the early days of Brennan Johnson at City; the anticipation when he got on the ball, the belief he'd always make something happen; Jack is the first player since Brennan to give me the same feeling. I hate lazy comparisons between different players, Jack and Brennan are very different, but a good winger makes you think he'll do something whenever he's got the ball at his feet.
"Right now, that's Jack Diamond, and in a division which is basically 20-odd clubs trying not to finish in the bottom four, having that is a massive bonus."
Do you envisage him becoming an important player over the course of the season?
GH: "That's certainly how I see him, yes. Selling Scully seemingly left a big hole, and there was uproar when fans thought we wouldn't have time to replace him.
"The club are savvy, and they knew that they'd already signed Anthony Scully's replacement in Jack Diamond; it's why news 'broke' before the Cambridge game we'd had bids for Scully. If he stays fit, Jack Diamond starts our next 36 league games, and then, who knows?
"The only curse of having a player like him is if he does well, his parent club want him back, and if he fails, his loan club don't want him anyway. It's odd because the only way I see us having a chance of getting him in on a more permanent basis is if Sunderland go up again, meaning his chances are non-existent.
"So, after three seasons of revelling in beating Sunderland, a huge institution in English football, I'm now desperate for them to do well!"
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