Lincoln City need to set wheels in motion on fresh Nottingham Forest transfer agreement | OneFootball

Joe Gardner has recovered from a nightmare debut to make quite the impression at Lincoln City.

Joe Gardner has recovered from a nightmare debut to make quite the impression at Lincoln City.

The Nottingham Forest youngster joined the Imps during the winter transfer window, but was rocked by a red card less than five minutes into his first appearance.

He came on late into the piece against Cambridge United, though he was quickly sent back off again after a rash challenge in front of the visiting bench. It brought a vocal reaction from the U’s bench and the referee obliged with a controversial dismissal.

Lincoln had an appeal rejected, with the red card standing after review.

Nottingham Forest loanee bouncing back quickly

However, after that early setback, Gardner rebounded like a boomerang and shot back to an impressive performance.

He was lively in the Imps victory over struggling Crawley Town, not afraid to take on the opposing defenders and netting a neat goal to mark the occasion after coming off the bench in the second-half.

He added the fourth in a thumping 4-1 win, after Lincoln fell behind to an early strike and managed to fight back to halt their poor run.

Michael Skubala’s side had won just one of their previous seven games, that a triumph over rivals Mansfield Town where Sam Clucas netted directly from a corner.

After the immediate red card, Gardner was forced to spend three games on the sidelines. That was then compounded by the double whammy of an injury coming at the same time.

The Lincoln head coach had kind words for his loanee after his performance against Crawley, saying: “He came on again and he was magnificent, and what a character. He’s come in, he’s got sent off and then he’s got injured, but he’s come in again and he’s just a livewire.”

His second consecutive substitute appearance brought his first Imps goal, and his first in the EFL.

Lincoln City would do well to re-sign him

Gardner is due to exit the LNER Stadium in the summer at the end of his short loan stint, but he would be a great addition for the upcoming campaign if his performance against Crawley is anything to go by.

There is no ignoring the fact that the youngster is a raw talent. He has a lot of room to grow and is far from the complete article, though Lincoln would benefit from a longer spell for their current loanee.

City have a strong track record of helping youngsters to the next level of their career, with current Huddersfield Town striker Joe Taylor one of the best recent examples.

Some Imps fans have already got on the bandwagon, appealing on social media for the Forest loanee to return next season. He has made a strong impression, looking pacy and energetic in the limited chances he has seen so far in Sky Bet League One.