Ted Bishop has settled into life as an Imp even better than he thought as he faces his boyhood club Ipswich Town this weekend.
The midfielder first joined the Tractor Boys at the age of eight, and made 132 appearances before moving to Lincolnshire this summer.
He said: “I wasn’t sure what to expect as I’d never been out on loan and was leaving a club I loved, but after just a couple of weeks I said to the boys it felt like I’d been here for years. It is a good group and the staff are all really friendly and have helped me settle in really quickly. I had an idea that was going to be the case which is why I chose Lincoln.
“The fans have been brilliant, too. They will cheer you on no matter what - even when we got beat at Oxford they were unbelievable. The 617 Squadron have been incredible, I was told to watch out for them but they’re even noisier than I thought and they really help carry the team.”
Bishop enjoys the freedom he has under the formation deployed by manager Michael Appleton.
He added: “The manager gives me freedom to go out and play how I want to, but there’s also a structure to go out and win the game. He tells us what he wants from us, but at the same time I can play off the cuff and be inventive so it’s perfect for me.
“I had such a disrupted pre-season and had only played about 45 minutes of football before the season started, so I always expected to get a few niggles here and there. Now I’m ready to go.”