Danny Cowley is delighted to have secured the services of Jack Payne, the 24 year old is The Imps’ second signing of the summer and the City manager says, they’ve signed a player with all the right attributes and desire to make his mark in SkyBet League One this coming season.
“It’s a fantastic signing, it’s one we’ve been working hard on all summer. Jack’s a boy we know well, he started his career at Southend and had a fantastic early education there and a had really bright spell which enabled him to get a move to Huddersfield in the Championship then he played a big part in them getting to the Premier League.”
Payne netted one of the Terrier’s goals in a thrilling 3-2 win over Preston North End in the latter stages of the 2016/17 season, a campaign which saw the West Yorkshire club gain promotion to the top flight through the playoffs and The Imps boss says Payne has the right tools to not only compliment but also add to the group.
“He’s a really bright and intelligent footballer, he's really tactically bright and he will certainly add to our quality in the final third and we analysed our performances from last year and there was a lot of good things we did to enable to win the league, but certainly an area for us to add was how we attack teams that get organised and well-structured behind the ball.
“Jack is a talented boy and even more importantly to us is he’s incredibly hard working, and he loves the game so when you get those three attributes together it’s something that's very important to us and that’s why we’ve worked so hard to get him to the club.”
As well as featuring for Huddersfield Town in the Championship, Payne has had loan spells at Blackburn Rovers, Oxford United and latterly, Bradford City in League One and Danny says that Jack’s wealth of experience despite his relative tender age, stands in him in great stead for the season ahead.
“Some of our experienced players have played in this division and higher, but Jack comes with a wealth of experience at only 24 and has his best years in front of him.”
“I think he’ll be the first to say he had a frustrating year last year with Bradford, personally he still scored near on ten goals and created at least double that for the team but it was tough times at Bradford with lots of change in management and style and formations and it made it difficult for all of their players and I know Jack found it frustrating.
“For us we think that can work in our favour because we always like players that have got something to prove and Jack certainly comes to us with something to prove, he and we believe he’s a championship player and we want to try and create the right environment and culture to get the best out of him.”
To see the Imps in action at Sincil Bank this summer, tickets are still available for the three friendlies against Sheffield Wednesday, Stoke City and Nottingham Forest. For details visit the Lincoln City Eventbrite page HERE or visit the ticket office at Sincil Bank.