He was assistant coach to John Kear at Batley before taking on the top job at the Keighley Cougars in RFL League 1.

[8] Lingard's return to the Batley Bulldogs was announced in September 2019, this time being appointed the role of head coach.

[13] In May 2023, it was announced that Lingard had joined Castleford Tigers in the Super League, working as an assistant coach under Andy Last.

[15] In August, following Last's dismissal and with Castleford level on points at the bottom of the table, he was joined by a new short-term coaching staff of Danny Ward and Dane Dorahy and was tasked with securing Super League survival.

[16][17] The Tigers won two games to confirm their top flight status in the final six rounds, although Ward and Dorahy's departures meant that the head coach role was left vacant upon the season's completion.

[23] On 2 December 2024 it was reported that he had been appointed as head-coach of Sheffield Eagles in the RFL Championship[24] Lingard's involvement with rugby league has always been part-time and away from the game he was previously a prison officer.