How Has Jack Burroughs Faired Since Joining Lincoln City? – Opinion
During the summer transfer window, Coventry City decided to loan out versatile defender Jack Burroughs to League One side Lincoln City for the 2023/24 campaign, but how has he adapted to life in the third tier so far?
The 22-year-old has been around the Sky Blues’ Championship side for the last few season but due to the signings of Jay Dasilva, Milan Van Ewijk and Tatsuhiro Sakamoto, Burroughs slipped down the pecking order and was loaned out to get much-needed game time.
The former Scottish youth international had made 20 first-team appearances for the Sky Blues, including a man-of-the-match performance against Watford for Mark Robins’ side last season as well as having separate loan spells with both Gloucester City and Ross County during the early stages of his career.
After loanee Harry Boyes returned to Sheffield United in the summer, Lincoln City required a left wing-back to fill the void after missing out on the chance to bring Boyes back on loan, with the defender joining League One rivals Wycombe Wanderers instead
Since arriving at Sincil Bank, Burroughs has made 14 appearances in all competitions and been a regular member of the club’s starting eleven so far. He’s featured in matches against both Sheffield United and West Ham United in the EFL Cup and picked up his first assist of the season during last night’s victory against Charlton Athletic.
In terms of match minutes, Burroughs has played 992 minutes so far (league only) which averages at just under 83 per game. This will be extremely eye-catching for Mark Robins as Burroughs was sent out on loan to earn minutes and that’s exactly what he’s getting.
Also, in terms of his defensive statistics, Burroughs has continued to impress during his short time at Sincil Bank so far. During his 12 league matches so far, he has made 101 successful recoveries which averages at 8.4 per game. Likewise, the 22-year-old is averaging five interceptions per match and has proven to be a reliable presence at the back.
However, it isn’t just his defensive attributes that have deserved praise as he has continued to improve his attacking performances in League One. In terms of his ground passes, Burroughs has a success rate of 73% as well as a crossing success rate of 45% which shows a significant amount of progress compared to his time with the Sky Blues. In terms of dribbling, Burroughs is successful 64% of the time, with him averaging 2.2 successful dribbles per match, which shows that he is beginning to adapt his game to the role as a full/wing-back.
TheRealEFL founder, Stacey West blog editor and Lincoln City supporter Gary Hutchinson had this to say about Burroughs’ time with the club so far…
‘Burroughs has settled into life in Lincoln nicely, and looks to be a key part of the team. Operating on either side of defence has given us options at a time when we need them – he’s flitted between left and right wing back with relative ease.
‘He’s grown in stature as the weeks have gone one – and he’s taken knock backs quite well. The own goal against Burton was a blow for him, but he didn’t let it affect his focus. Against Charlton, he was outstanding, and has a real energy and enthusiasm to get involved.
‘The biggest compliment I can give is that he doesn’t look like a young player settling into first team football. He looks like a man: a strong, quick, versatile player with a big future in the game.’
If Burroughs’ form continues, it will create an intriguing dilemma for Mark Robins in January about whether the Championship side should recall him as a cover option or allow him to continue at Lincoln City with the hope of taking the side into play-off contention.
Unless the Sky Blues suffer an injury setback in the wing-back area or Jake Bidwell is sold in January, it does appear likely that Burroughs would remain in League One this season but whether Robins feels the same remains to be seen.
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