Injury will delay Josh Honohan's Lincoln City debut

Honohan’s new employers have cited that medical condition as reason to temper immediate expectations.

Fri, 02 Jan, 2026 - 21:58

John Fallon

Lincoln City have urged their fans to be patient before seeing the best of Josh Honohan after confirming the Corkman’s transfer from Shamrock Rovers.

The Imps – second to Brian Barry Murphy’s Cardiff City in the League One table at the midway point of the campaign – brokered a €500,000 fee after initially trying to land the defender last summer.

Honohan (24) enjoyed a stellar two years with the Hoops after emerging through the ranks with his hometown club City where he was part of the 2022 First Division winning team under Colin Healy.

Heimir Hallgrímsson called the Leesider into his Ireland squad for the summer friendlies and would have recalled him for the concluding World Cup qualifiers in November but for injury.

Honohan’s new employers have cited that medical condition as reason to temper immediate expectations.

“I would just ask for some patience with Josh in that he picked up a load-related injury towards the back end of Shamrock’s season, after the deal had already been completed, and Josh subsequently hasn’t played since November 9,” explained Lincoln’s director of football Jez George added.

"We have been in full dialogue with Shamrock’s medical department to ensure a smooth handover in Josh’s rehab and we will take our time now to ensure Josh comes back symptom and pain free, followed by a gradual introduction to pitch-based training before he is considered for selection.

💬 Josh's first words as an Imp.
— Lincoln City FC 🇺🇦 (@LincolnCity_FC) January 2, 2026

"We will not put a timeframe on his return to playing but we are extremely positive that Josh will be able to make a significant contribution to the team this season.

“We signed Josh on a long-term contract for a reason, so we won’t rush this process for the matter of a few weeks.” Carrigaline Honohan, deployed by Rovers primarily at left-wing back but comfortable in any defensive berth, outlined the background to his UK move.

"There were a lot of factors as to why Lincoln City was the move I wanted to make,” said the player.

“The way the club has progressed over the past few years is really impressive and I always wanted to be part of it once I found out about the interest.

"I've watched the games before I got here and love the way the team is playing. I can see it's a very progressive style of play, full of intensity and the way I want to play.

"The fans have got right behind the team and there's been a really intimidating atmosphere in the stadium at times - I can't wait to play in front of them.

"It's clearly a group full of running and pressing, a real determined group, and I think I fit that mould."

Huddersfield Town brought Lincoln’s three-match winning streak, that began by beating Cardiff, to an end by drawing 1-1 on Thursday. Michael Skubala’s Imp are next in action on Sunday when they host fellow promotion challengers Peterborough United.