Nigerian defender Deji Elerewe came off the bench to help Lincoln City seal a historic return to the Championship with a dramatic Easter Monday victory over Reading.
Lincoln City are heading back to the Championship for the first time in 65 years, and a young Nigerian centre-back was on the pitch when they got there. The Imps beat Reading 2-1 at the Select Car Leasing Stadium on Easter Monday, with Jack Moylan’s stoppage-time winner putting the seal on a League One title triumph that few could have scripted any better.
Heading into the game, Lincoln needed just a single point to confirm promotion. They left with three, opening up an unassailable 19-point gap over third-placed Bradford City in the process.
Elerewe’s Role in a Historic Night
Deji Elerewe, the 22-year-old Nigerian centre-back, came off the bench in the 67th minute to replace Dom Jefferies, playing the final 23 minutes as Lincoln held firm and then found a winner. It was a brief but meaningful contribution on one of the club’s biggest nights in over six decades.
Elerewe joined the Imps during the January transfer window, signing a long-term contract running to the summer of 2029, with Lincoln holding an option for a further year. Born in Croydon and a product of the Charlton Athletic academy, he spent time at Bromley before his move to Lincolnshire, making 23 appearances across all competitions and scoring four goals from his defensive position. Nigerian fans looking to back players like Elerewe in upcoming fixtures can explore the Bet9ja sign-up bonus to get started ahead of the new Championship season.
Since arriving at Lincoln, he has featured five times as a substitute, clocking a total of 39 minutes. He is yet to make his first senior start for the club, but that is almost certain to change once the Imps step up to the second tier.
Open to Nigeria Call-Up
The big question for Nigerian football fans is whether Elerewe will commit his international future to the Super Eagles. According to FootballInNigeria.com.ng, the defender is open to representing Nigeria, which puts him firmly on the NFF’s radar.
It is a familiar path. Several of Nigeria’s most reliable defenders in recent years, including William Troost-Ekong and Leon Balogun, came through the English football pyramid before committing to the green and white. Elerewe fits the profile: technically solid, still developing, and about to test himself at Championship level. Supporters who want to back the Super Eagles in upcoming qualifiers can grab the YOHAIG promo code for an enhanced welcome offer from Bet9ja.
Lincoln’s Long Wait Ends
For Lincoln City, this promotion ends a 65-year absence from the second tier of English football. The club last played Championship football in the 1960-61 season before a long period of decline that saw them drop into the non-league altogether. Their revival across the past decade has been one of English football’s more remarkable stories.
That story now has a Nigerian subplot, with Elerewe part of a squad that will face Championship opposition for the first time. Nigerian football followers tracking his progress can find regular updates at FootballInNigeria.com.ng as the 2026-27 season takes shape.
📌 Did You Know?
- Lincoln City were founded in 1884, making them one of the oldest clubs in the English Football League, yet they have spent the vast majority of their history in the third and fourth tiers.
- Deji Elerewe scored four goals from centre-back during his time at Bromley, a return that signals strong aerial ability and a dangerous presence at set pieces from a defensive position.
- The Charlton Athletic academy, where Elerewe developed, has produced several players who went on to represent African nations at senior level, including Super Eagles internationals.
- Lincoln City’s last season in the Championship before this promotion was 1960-61, meaning an entire generation of their supporters has never seen them play second-tier football.
- Nigeria currently has over 70 players spread across professional leagues in England alone, from the Premier League down to League Two and the National League.
- Bromley, Elerewe’s former club, only gained Football League status for the first time in 2023, making his move from a recently promoted non-league side to a Championship-bound club a remarkably rapid rise.
- Jack Moylan, who scored the promotion-clinching winner for Lincoln, is just 22 years old, the same age as Elerewe, underlining how young this Lincoln City squad is as they enter the Championship.
