Today we commence a series of articles looking at how our players performed while on an extended loan period at another club last season. The series kicks off with a report from Neil Hobbs of the Imps Trust of the progress that Louis Dodds made during his time at Lincoln. (It has been confirmed this week that Dodds has been offered a new contract at Leicester)
"The highest quality Cognac on the market today, Louis XIII has been carefully tended by three generations of Remy Martin cellar masters. The resulting heavenly combination of savoir-faire, art and patience has been years in the making. In but one season at only twenty the Lincoln Louis and his number 19 shirt has never failed to catch the eye. One to savour he is our Artful Dodger.
The name Dodds has always had a goal scoring pedigree at Lincoln. What a player Ephraim Dodds or "Jock" as he was affectionately known was (7/9/1915 – 24/2/07). Jock was big strong and quick reaching 100 league goals in 154 appearances (Imp Appearances 60 Goals 39). So the question for Impdom was, would the long haired lover from Leicester be a twenty goal man; our first since Simon Yeo, and Ainsworth.
An academic ace, Louis Dodds came to the Imps with a goal scoring pedigree. In the last 3 seasons this prodigy had scored 65 times for the Leicester youth and reserve sides, yet still failed to force his way into the first team reckoning…..
Despite being regarded as the best natural finisher on the books since Frank Worthington, fate and circumstance had conspired against him. With the Imps in need of a striker to cover for the aging legs of Jamie Forrester and Mark Stallard, on July 1st 2007, the Imps secured his services on a season long loan. Hopeful of first team opportunities and a long overdue breakthrough, Dodds took the chance. Well not quite.
As with all things Imp and lower league, nothing is ever straight forward. Perhaps it was a question of ‘necessity is the mother of invention’ as the newly christened Artful Dodger became our favourite wide boy.
For though his quality as a fox in the box has never been in question, his 9 goals from 36 games have all come from the wing. Perhaps playing in a very young, and initially struggling side, in a tough League has forced a poacher turned game keeper scenario. Certainly this season Doddsie has gone from great goal scorer to scorer of great goals, as defensive duties and the need to break from deep has been the order of the day.
Who can forget the 25-yard curling peach from The Artful Dodger that gave us the lead at Rotherham, the highlight of a 2-3 defeat? Then the following week the cheeky chappy did it again to win the game against Wycombe. The two clinical finishes when played centrally alongside the Swan in the 3-0 demolition of Accrington. Accy are no fans of the Artful Dodger, against whom he bagged his first………….. Stallardicus hooked it to Dodds. The Cut to the chase cherub was not about to create a perfect goal with another tangential pass and hammered the ball into the net. He does a good job on the wing without a doubt but this is a poacher, a Finisher. The determination and nose for goal of Jock Dodds.
At £829 per bottle the brandy might be a bit rich for us but Louis 19 would be a fantastic acquisition if we could sign him. We should get him from Leicester because he will be our first 20 plus goal machine since Yeo if he is allowed to become part of the Lord of the Imps Promotion Season 125 next year.
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Picture courtesy of Raymonds/lcfc.com’
Stats
Date of Birth: 10/8/86 Place of Birth: Sheffield, Height: 5'11 ft Weight: 11st 9lb
Lincoln (No 19) Position: Forward. Starts: 38 (4sub) Goals: 9 Yellow Cards: 5 Red Cards: 0
Minutes On Pitch: 3141 Minutes per goal 349"
If you want to read more about the Imps Trust, follow this link http://www.impstrust.com/
The next article in the series will look at Alek Cisak's period at Tamworth.