Three Brighton and Hove Albion youngsters are to go out on loan, the club said this evening (Friday 13 January).
Under-23 winger Joe Ward is joining National League table toppers Lincoln City for a month while team-mates Connor Tighe and Tom Cadman are also heading out on loan to local non-league sides.
Ward, 21, has been a regular in Simon Rusk’s side since his arrival from Chelmsford City in June 2015. He has featured in four of Albion’s five Checkatrade Trophy matches this season.
Rusk said: “This is a great opportunity for Joe to go and play regular senior football at a club who are enjoying a very successful season in the National League.
“It’ll be a great experience for him and, similar to Jordan Maguire-Drew at Dagenham and Redbridge, he can really benefit from regular football at that level.”
Ward will train full-time with Lincoln and is eligible for their FA Trophy match at Gateshead tomorrow (Saturday 14 January) and their National League game with Dover next Friday.
But he won’t be eligible for their FA Cup replay with Ipswich next Tuesday, having not been registered prior to the original meeting of the clubs. Nor will he be allowed to face Albion, should Lincoln make it through to the 4th round.
Tighe is joining National League South side Whitehawk on loan while Cadman is to join East Grinstead, who play in the Ryman League South.
Rusk said: “Similarly, this is a great opportunity for Connor and Tom to play regular senior football and gain good experience from playing week-in, week-out.
“Both will continue to train with us alongside their commitments at their loan clubs and it’s a great chance for each of them to continue on their development path.”
Under the terms of the youth loan, Cadman and Tighe can also still feature for Albion’s under-23s.
