Chris Maguire, welcome to the s**thousery club
Lincoln City striker Chris Maguire celebrated in front of his ex-manager's face after he opened the scoring against former club Sunderland.
Maguire - who spent three seasons at Sunderland between 2018 and 2021 - was released by Johnson when his contract expired in July last year.
The 32-year-old joined Lincoln on a free transfer in the summer and came up against his old side for the first time on Tuesday night.
Maguire put the Imps ahead at the Stadium of Light with a stunning strike in the 31st minute, and he made the most of his opportunity to celebrate in style.
While the Scottish winger initially held his hands in the air to show respect to the Sunderland fans inside the stadium, he then sprinted over to the touchline to celebrate in the face of Johnson.
https://twitter.com/edward_w97/status/1481002784623415301
The Lincoln man went on to score a penalty in the second half before completing his hat-trick with a smart finish in the 75th minute, ensuring the Imps headed home with an important 3-1 win.
Prior to Maguire grabbing his third goal of the game, Ross Stewart managed to pull a goal back for the Black Cats, but Sunderland - who currently sit second in League One - were always going to struggle when Carl Winchester was sent off in the 56th minute.
The away victory was a vital one for Lincoln who are desperate for points after making an underwhelming start to their campaign.
The Imps have won just seven of their opening 24 fixtures, which is a stark contrast to the form they showed last season as they finished inside the play-off positions.
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