Picture: Chris Vaughan Photography for Lincoln City FC
Exciting young midfielder Ethan Hamilton has signed for the Imps on a three year deal from Accrington Stanley for an undisclosed fee today, which means he will be available for our opening fixture against Bolton Wanderers on Saturday.
Ethan began his youth career at Hutchison Vale before signing for Manchester United in 2015 to continue his development. The Scotsman impressed in the academy for United, and got the opportunity to train with the first team squad on multiple opportunities and also feature in the squad for an FA Cup match against Huddersfield Town. Ahead of the 2018-19 season, Ethan earned his first professional contract with the Premier League club and was part of the club’s pre-season tour in USA, making one appearance as a substitute.
His first taste of senior football came with Rochdale on a short term loan. He returned to United that summer and was once again shipped out on a loan deal to Southend, where he played 14 times in the first half of the season before stepping up a division to Bolton Wanderers, featuring 12 times. His time at United ended in 2020, ending a five year affiliation with the Premier League club following his contract expiring. The midfielder moved to Peterborough, to make 44 appearances for the club, winning promotion to the Championship along the way.
After his time with Peterborough ended, he moved to Accrington Stanley for an undisclosed fee. He impressed in his two years in League One, despite relegation last season to fourth tier, he was one of their top performers. In 74 league appearances for Stanley, he notched ten goals which is brilliant for his position and shows that we are continuing to add goals to our side.
Ethan is a really talented player, who was noticed at the top of English football in his youth career as well as representing Scotland at multiple youth levels. He’s a box-to-box sort of player, that is extremely comfortable on the ball, as well as off it too, which is just as important in the modern game. A big positive for us is that he has very decent shot on him too from range, scoring four last season and six in the campaign before that. He is also 6′ 1″, so we are continuing to add height and physicality to our side and he comes in to add lots of quality to our midfield ranks, which already has Ethan Erhahon, Ali Smith and Ted Bishop.
Upon the signing for the club, Ethan said: “I’m over the moon, from the first interest it’s something I’ve been really keen on. From walking around the club It’s clear to see that everyone here is hungry and wants to work hard, you can see that culture, and I think I’ll fit into that. I’ve spoken with Lukas Jensen who I played with at Accrington and he was so complimentary about the club, which was important as well.”
Imps head coach Mark Kennedy added: “Ethan is a very good signing for us, who can cover a number of positions within our squad. He fits our recruitment profile and, at 24 years old, has the potential to develop and play higher. He is a technical player, with good athleticism and is someone who will add goals to the team.”
I think the signing of Ethan adds great strength to our squad not just ahead of Bolton on Saturday but for the whole season. Looking at his career to date, he makes himself available regularly, which is a massive positive for us and like I’ve already said, he clearly likes a goal, and that seems to be a big direction we are going in with recruitment so far, getting players in all over the pitch that can score and contribute to the team.
It will be good to see Ethan play at Bolton, and with just a few days to go now, the excitement is certainly building for the season!