Northampton Town have signed Zach Jeacock on loan for the 26/27 season. The 25-year-old goalkeeper joins the club from Lincoln City. Jeacock has proven himself to be a decent keeper, appearing in the cups last season against the likes of Chelsea and Huddersfield, and looking strong. A loan at Southend the year before was cut short through necessity, and he played well in League One over a period of time as well. He's a good keeper, and he penned a new deal last season with a view to being our number one long term. In the past, if a player got to this age and hadn't dislodged the current number one, maybe we'd look at a move, as we did with Jordan Wright. I don't think that is the plan with Zach. Firstly, 25 is young for a keeper. Alex Palmer joined us at 24, after a full season in League Two, and smashed it. He went on to play in the Premier League, but prior to his League Two spell, he had nothing but non-league loans. If a midfielder gets to 25 and hasn't broken through, sure, it might be time to move, but a keeper's timeline is different, and Jeacock could still be playing at 36 at the top of his game. I suspect this move has been forced, a little, by our promotion. He signed the deal in November, just a few days before we lost our last game of the season against Wycombe. At that stage, play-offs looked aspirational, so it feels like we might have planned for League One and Wickens' move. Now? The future looks different. Picture the scene: we don't go up, perhaps we lose in the play-offs, but we've had a decent campaign. That's crucial to remember – if we'd finished top six and gone out in the semi-finals, we'd have thought that was a great season. Michael Skubala moves on, and when he does, Wickens is prime for a move. Of course, he would be, if we were League One, Championship clubs would have something to offer him. With us going up, I think we're likely to retain our key players, including Wickens, which means no chances for Jeacock, especially at a higher level. If we stayed down, I could see a world where Wickens was sold, and then Zach steps up. Players such as Sean Long have been similar victims of circumstance in the past, that's just football. Why not a League One loan? A good question, for sure. If Zach were to get a League One loan, my best guess would be bottom half, as anywhere above that can probably get hold of Premier League youngsters. Do we want him at a team getting a spanking every game, or in a team where goals get conceded and he might be questioned? No. He goes to Northampton Town, a side you'd hope are on the up and likely to be top six, and he gets the taste of being in a successful, settled side. There is also the issue of minutes. I believe Zach Jeacock, right now, is a decent League One keeper. If he goes to a League One side, will he get as many minutes? At a League Two side, on loan from the Championship and clearly a big, imposing figure, you'd be expecting regular minutes. The ideal scenario is 46 games and a title win or promotion. What does the future hold at Lincoln City? I think as a realist, you have to say Zach's future is very much in the hands of the football Gods. If he goes to Northampton and is a behemoth, keeping 25 clean sheets as they clean up, maybe there is a step up to the Championship for him, but I think his future is dictated by how we do, as much as how he does, even if he is a success. If we stay in the Championship, then no matter what happens, I think it is unlikely that he will get a chance to play in the Championship.