Birch Agrees New Deal

21st June 2006

Lincoln City have received some good news today, with the announcement that Imps' striker Gary Birch will stay at Sincil Bank for at least another season.

Birch was one of four out of contract players who were offered new deals by Lincoln City FC. However, both Gareth McAuley and Marvin Robinson have rejected their offers in favour of transfers to Leicester City and Macclesfield Town respectively. There has been no word from the third player, who is striker Simon Yeo, as to whether he will stay at Sincil Bank.

Lincoln City FC have stated that Birch has agreed in writing that he remain at the club, so there should be no confusion unlike in the cases of several other players of recent years.

24-year-old Birch joined Lincoln City in June 2005, thereby ending former Imps' boss Keith Alexander's elusive search for a target man; although Birch is also classed a utility player.

As a striker, Birch has a reasonable goal scoring record. A loan spell at Nuneaton in December 2001 saw him score three times in five matches. During the 2003/04 season, he had a similar spell at Barnsley where he scored twice in eight appearances.

Birch began his career as a trainee at Walsall in July 2000, making 75 appearances but only scoring 7 goals. Loan spells at Exeter City, Nuneaton and Barnsley interspaced his 75 appearances for Walsall before he finally left in December 2004 to join Kidderminster Harriers. He made 14 appearances for Kidderminster, scoring three goals, but was unable to help Harriers escape relegation from the Football League.

Following Harriers' relegation, he was one of ten players who were released by the club in May 2004. At the time, Harriers' manager Stuart Watkiss stated that several players were being released purely for financial reasons, although he did not stipulate which players he was referring too.

Birch agreed a one-year contract with Lincoln City FC and he became an instant first team player. This faith was rewarded by a host of goals from Birch during the opening matches of Lincoln's 2005/06 season. However, he struggled for form after Christmas and lost his first team place to Yeo.

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