Lincoln City F.C.

Lincoln City

Full name	Lincoln City Football Club
Nickname(s)	The Imps
Founded	1884 (1884)
Ground	Sincil Bank, Lincoln
Ground Capacity	10,120
Chairman	Bob Dorrian
Manager	Gary Simpson
League	Conference Premier
2013–14	Conference Premier, 14th
Home colours Away colours Third colours

Lincoln City Football Club is an English professional football club based in Lincoln, Lincolnshire. The team participates in the Conference Premier, the fifth tier of English football.

The club plays at the 10,120-capacity Sincil Bank, and are nicknamed the Imps after the legend of the Lincoln Imp. They have also been known as the Red Imps. Traditionally they play in red and white striped shirts with black shorts and red and white socks. Their most recent championship win was the Football Conference, in the 1987–88 season. This season saw the club set an all-time record attendance (which has since been beaten by Oxford United) for a Conference match, attracting 9,432 spectators in a game against Wycombe Wanderers, on 2 May 1988, the last game of the season. The game also decided the championship, as Lincoln had not occupied the top-spot at any point in the season prior to this 2–0 victory.

Their highest ever position achieved came in the 1901–02 season, where they reached 5th position in the English Division 2 (now known as the Championship). The last season that the club spent in this division was in 1960–61, they have never returned since. No team has played as many seasons in the Football League (Lincoln spent 104 seasons in the League) without ever reaching the top tier.

An unusual record held by Lincoln is that the club has suffered five demotions from the Football League, more than any other club: in 1908, 1911, 1920, 1987 and 2011. In all but the last case the club returned to the League the following season.

The club has reached the last 16 in the FA Cup three times, most recently over 100 years ago in the 1901–02 season. Their best performance in the League Cup came in 1967–68 when they reached the Fourth round before losing 0–3 at home to Derby County in a replay. In the Second round of the 2005–06 League Cup, Lincoln narrowly lost 5–4 to Premier League Fulham at Craven Cottage, being denied a draw in the last minute of extra time by a Brian McBride goal. This was after an impressive 5–1 home victory against Championship side Crewe Alexandra.

In recent history, the club have also been in the chase for promotion from the fourth tier via the play-offs five times, twice reaching the finals (2002–03 & 2004–05) and three times getting knocked out in the semi-finals (2003–04, 2005–06 & 2006–07), each time under the guidance of Keith Alexander with the exception of the 2006–07 play-offs. The failure to succeed in five successive play-off competitions is a record. The last time Lincoln were in a higher league than League Two was in the 1998–99 season where they played in the Division 2 (now League One), after they had gained automatic promotion via third position the previous season.

History

Early years

Having formed officially as an amateur association in 1884 after the disbanding of Lincoln Rovers (formerly Lincoln Recreation), football in the city of Lincoln had been prominent since the 1860s (although not strictly connected to the modern day club). The first game Lincoln played as an amateur team at the John O'Gaunts Ground, a ground that wealthy local brewer Robert Dawber provided and rented out to the club, was an emphatic 9–1 victory over local rivals Sleaford, on 4 October 1884. George Hallam set two records for the club that day. He scored the first ever goal for the club, and also the first ever hat-trick. Their first competitive game at home also ended in an emphatic manner, beating Boston Excelsior 11–0, with Edwin Teesdale scoring four goals. It was at this time, before the club gained entry into the Football League and professional status, that the County Cup was their main priority. They won it for the first time in the 1886–87 season with a 2–0 replay victory over neighbours Grimsby Town F.C., after the initial match had finished 2–2.

Lincoln soon helped to form what was then the Second Division in 1892–93 season, as an increasing number of clubs wished to join the Football League. Their first game in the Football League was a 4–2 away defeat to Sheffield United on 3 September 1892. Their first home game was also against Sheffield United, this time, however, Lincoln won 1–0. The first game at Sincil Bank in 1895, after moving from the John O'Gaunts Ground due to Dawber's death, was a 0–0 friendly draw with local rivals, Gainsborough Trinity. The first competitive fixture at the ground was against Arsenal, the game ended 1–1.

In January 1907 The Imps knocked Chelsea out of the FA Cup after a replay. Managed by David Calderhead, two late goals salvaged a home draw in the first leg. In the replay in London, an injury time goal by Norrie Fairgray took Lincoln through. Chelsea returned at the end of the season to poach Calderhead to become their manager.

Up until the 1920s Lincoln spent most of their time swinging between the Second Division and the more localised leagues, the Midland and also the Central league. After then, however, in the 1921–22 season, Lincoln, along with several other clubs from the Central and Midland leagues, founded the Third Division (North). The newly founded league and the Second Division would take turns in becoming Lincoln's home up until the early 1960s where they would drop a further division to the Fourth Division in the 1962–63 season. Formed in 1884 as an amateur association, Lincoln turned professional in the 1891–92 season. Originally they played at the John O'Gaunts ground, however, in 1895 they moved to their current ground, Sincil Bank.

Their championship honours include three Division 3 (North) championships in 1931–32, 1947–48 and 1951–52, a Division 4 (now League Two) championship in 1975–76 (when they were managed by future England manager Graham Taylor).

It was the 1975–76 season where the club broke the record for most points for a whole season when 2 instead of 3 points were awarded for a win with 74 points in total (this was and still is the record amount of points achieved under the 2-point system); the record of winning the most games (32) and losing the fewest (4), was also set. City also become the first club in nearly a decade to score over 100 league goals (111 in total). They also won 21 out of 23 home league games in this season (the other 2 were drawn) and also won 11 games away from home, another impressive bout from the club. It was the season where, Graham Taylor recalls, "teams were petrified of coming to Sincil Bank".

1980s and 1990s

In 1982 and again in 1983, Lincoln narrowly missed out on promotion to the Second Division. In 1985, Lincoln were the opposition at Bradford City when the Bradford City stadium fire claimed the lives of 56 spectators – two of them, Bill Stacey and Jim West, were Lincoln fans, and subsequently these fans had the Stacey West stand named after them.

Lincoln were relegated on the last day of the following season, and the year after that they became the first team to suffer automatic relegation from the Football League. This was a dramatic decline for a club who had almost reached the Second Division four years earlier and has been linked to the trauma arising from the disaster. This marked the fourth occasion on which Lincoln were demoted from the Football League, a record that still stands. They regained their Football League place automatically via promotion as champions of the Conference (beforehand it was done by re-election) at the first attempt with a long ball game devised by eccentric manager Colin Murphy and held on to it until the end of season 2010–11. On 8 September 1990, Lincoln were the opposition when David Longhurst suffered a fatal heart attack during the first half of a game against York City at Bootham Crescent. The game was abandoned at halftime.

The Lincolnshire derby, between Lincoln City and local rivals Boston United, being played at Sincil Bank

Financial difficulties & Play-off attempts

With Lincoln entering administration at the end of the 2001–02 season, Alan Buckley was relieved of his duties as manager on financial grounds with Keith Alexander placed in charge of all football matters. On 3 May 2002 Lincoln successfully petitioned to go into administration but the financial crisis would leave the first team squad bereft of players as the day saw five senior players – Jason Barnett, Grant Brown, David Cameron, Steve Holmes and Justin Walker – released at the end of their contracts with a sixth, Lee Thorpe, departing for Leyton Orient. A hectic day finished with confirmation of Alexander's official appointment as team manager.

In 2002–03, Alexander was given the task of keeping the team in the football league, he proved the many pundits and fans who believed that Lincoln would be relegated and sent out of business due to financial irregularities wrong. With a team made up of cheap ex-non-league players and the lower paid members of the previous seasons squad he managed to take them to the play-off final which they lost 5–2 to Bournemouth. The team were rewarded with a civil reception in Lincoln, and an open-top bus ride through Lincoln, an event usually preserved for the winners of such competitions, but was awarded to the team because of the massive achievement.

In 2003–04 Alexander again confounded the critics by coaching the Imps to another play-off position, this time losing to eventual winners Huddersfield Town in the semi-finals. Alexander, one of the very few black managers in the Football League, had a very serious brain injury (a cerebral aneurysm) halfway through the season, but made a full recovery. In the 2004–05 season they again qualified for the play-offs, for a third year running, and in the semi-finals Lincoln beat Macclesfield Town 2–1 on aggregate over two legs but lost in the final against Southend United 2–0 after extra time.

Lincoln fans do a card display before a match against Swindon

In the 2005–06 season Lincoln City again reached the play-offs after many fans and critics believed that they would finish in the mid-table after losing many of their first team regulars from the previous 3 campaigns. In January both Alexander and former Assistant Manager, Gary Simpson, were put on gardening leave by the board. Alexander was soon after reinstated, however, Simpson was never to return. Shortly after, over a disagreement with other board members over the way the club was being run and certain personnel, two prominent board members, Ray Trew and Keith Roe departed from the club. Lincoln brushed this saga to the side though, and finished 7th in League 2 after only losing 3 games since the new year. Lincoln were to face local neighbours Grimsby Town in the play-offs, a side they had beaten 5–0 at Sincil Bank earlier in the season. However, once again it was not to be, as Lincoln lost 3–1 on aggregate to become the first team ever to lose four consecutive play-off competitions.

After speculation that he would take up the vacant managerial role at Peterborough United, Keith Alexander left his position as manager of Lincoln City by mutual consent on 24 May 2006 stating that he could take the club no further, and shortly after on 15 June John Schofield was appointed his successor, with John Deehan as Director of Football. When John Deehan was the Director of Football, the club enjoyed a close link with Premier League outfit Aston Villa. As well as Villa hosting a behind closed-doors friendly with City earlier in the 2006–07 season, Paul Green, a promising youngster, made a permanent move to the club, whilst goalkeeper Robert Olejnik featured several times on the substitute bench during his loan spell at City. Deehan also brought in Ryan Amoo, a youth player who he worked with at Villa, who has since left the club since his contract expired. For the fifth year in a row, under a different manager, however, Lincoln City reached the League Two play-offs after finishing 5th in the league (the highest position that they have qualified for the play-offs in). Once again, however, they lost, this time to Bristol Rovers in the semi-finals courtesy of a 2–1 defeat away and a 3–5 defeat at home. The failure to succeed in five successive Play-off competitions is a record for any club.

Demise and relegation from the Football League

The team started the 2007–08 campaign poorly, managing just two wins before a winless streak that lasted from 25 August to 24 November. During this winless streak the Managerial team of John Schofield and John Deehan were sacked, and replaced with former Huddersfield Town manager Peter Jackson. Jackson quickly earned the nickname "Lord of the Imps" due to his shared name with Peter Jackson the director who made the Lord of the Rings films. Jackson parted company with the club on 2 September 2009 due to poor home form in the previous season and a poor start to the 2009/10 season.

On 28 September 2009, the Lincoln hotseat was handed to former Chelsea, Blackburn Rovers, Celtic and England striker Chris Sutton. His assistant was named as Ian Pearce, another former Premier League player. The club had been managed by coach Simon Clark following the sacking of Peter Jackson and his assistant Iffy Onuora. It was announced that Sutton would take the reins from Clark on 30 September. Sutton led Lincoln City to the Third round of the FA Cup, after beating Northwich Victoria in a second round game televised live on ITV1. City were drawn with Premier League side Bolton Wanderers in the third round. The tie was played on 2 January 2010 at the Reebok Stadium, with Lincoln losing the game 4–0 and crashing out respectfully to the Premier League side. League form improved in January, with the team profiting from new loan and permanent signings. Loan signing Davide Somma became an instant hero, scoring 9 goals in his 14 games on loan and ending up being Lincoln's top goalscorer for the season.

Sutton resigned in September 2010, citing personal reasons. However, he later revealed it was due to disagreements over spending with the clubs board. On 15 October, the Imps hired Steve Tilson as the club's new manager. Under new management, things looked up for the Imps and by Christmas, Tilson's side were 11th. The good run ended abruptly, and Lincoln started to slip down the table. After a run of nine losses and a draw in the final ten games, Lincoln City were relegated from League Two on the last day of the end of the 2010–2011 season. They needed a win in their final game against Aldershot Town to survive, but lost 3–0. With relegation rivals Barnet winning their final game, Lincoln finished 23rd and were relegated. Almost 8,000 supporters watched the game, an attendance that had not been seen at the club in years.

Conference Premier

Lincoln City have played in the Conference Premier since the season 2011–12. Following relegation, Tilson released all but three members of the squad, telling them they had no future at Sincil Bank. Tilson had very little success in the Conference Premier. By early October, Lincoln were one point above relegation zone and the management were coming under-fire after a run of one win in four, that being against Bath City F.C. On 10 October, little under a year since being appointed as manager and after losing 4–0 at Tamworth F.C., Tilson and assistant Paul Brush were sacked by chairman Bob Dorrian. Their reign was described as 'a year to forget'. Following the duo's sacking, Grant Brown was put in temporary charge. His first game was at home to Mansfield Town F.C.

Imps chairman Bob Dorrian told BBC Lincolnshire that Lincoln were going to appoint a manager on a contract until the end of the season. Many candidates were interviewed, but in the end, former Mansfield Town F.C. manager David Holdsworth was confirmed as manager.

On 17 February 2013, David Holdsworth left the club by mutual consent following twelve games without a win. On 27 February 2013, Gary Simpson was appointed manager until the end of the season.

Lincoln ended the season with a 5–1 away win against Hyde, guaranteeing their Conference status.

Stadium

Main article: Sincil Bank

The Lincolnshire Echo Stand at Lincoln's Ground, Sincil Bank.

The club have played at Sincil Bank since 1895. Previously, Lincoln City had played at the nearby John O'Gaunts ground since the club's 1884 inception. Sincil Bank has an overall capacity of 10,120 and is colloquially known to fans as "The Bank". It is overlooked by Lincoln Cathedral. Former Lincoln City chairman John Reames re-purchased the ground from the local council in 2000 at a cost of £175,000. The club had sold it in 1982 for £225,000 to fend off the threat of eviction, arranging a 125-year lease.

Sincil Bank hosted England's 2–0 win over Scotland in the Victory Shield on 28 November 2008. Martin Peters paraded the FIFA World Cup Trophy at the ground in March 2010 as part of its global tour. FA WSL club Lincoln Ladies will play home games at Sincil Bank in their 2011 season. The Ladies' club had previously hosted Arsenal Ladies there in an FA Women's Cup semi-final in March 2008.

Mascot

The Lincoln City mascot is called Poacher The Imp, after the old song 'The Lincolnshire Poacher'. He has been portrayed by Gary Hutchinson since he was first introduced to Imps fans in July 1999. In 2003, Poacher finished 12th in the Mascot Grand National, representing his best finish. However following claims that the event at Huntingdon allows professional athletes to compete in the guise of mascots, Poacher has decided to boycott the event in the future. Gary retired as Poacher after 16 seasons, with his last match being a FA Cup 1st Round game at home against Plymouth Argile which finished 0–0 on 9 November 2013. He is now portrayed by an anonymous person.

Rivals

Main article: Lincolnshire derby

Lincoln City are one of three professional football clubs playing inside Lincolnshire. Football clubs in Lincoln's geographical region include Scunthorpe United, Grimsby Town

Other local rivalries include Gainsborough Trinity and Boston United- both former league clubs who like Lincoln and Grimsby have slipped out of the football league

Peterborough United, Mansfield Town and York City are all clubs who have had some sort of local rivalry with The Imps in the past. The two other clubs in the City of Lincoln, Lincoln United and Lincoln Moorlands Railway are further down the footballing pyramid and are not considered rivals.

Crest and colours

Crest

Lincoln City's logo used until 2006

Up until recently the club's logo was very simple in design, with the historic City's heraldic shield having "L C F C" inside it and a marquee displaying the club's name below it. Since, however, Lincoln have opted to go with a more informal design, with the club's mascot and nickname replacing what was originally there.

Colours

Dates	Kit Supplier
1973–1978	Umbro
1978–1983	Adidas
1983–1985	Lowfields
1985–1987	Osca
1987–1990	Spall
1990–1994	Matchwinner
1994–1997	Admiral
1997–1999	Super League
1999–2001	Avec Sportswear
2001–2004	Imps Sport
2004–2006	Lincoln City Collection
2006–2007	Uhlsport
2007–2011	Umbro
2011–	Nike

Traditionally, the colours and design of the Lincoln City strip have been a red and white striped shirt along with black shorts and red socks. This has varied, however, as in the late 1960s and early 70s, the club opted to field a predominantly red strip with white shorts, and also in the 2000–01 season where the shirt was quartered red and white with white shorts. Their away kit has never retained any single pattern or design, and has varied vastly throughout the seasons.

In the 2006–07 season, Lincoln have retained their traditional home kit colours and style, and have a predominantly black away strip with red side stripes, also with red shorts and black socks. This has been the away strip of choice for two seasons now. Their current sponsors are Starglaze (home) and Haart (away), with their kit manufacturer being Uhlsport. Dennis Horton & Son, also sponsor Lincoln, with their logo appearing at the top centre on the reverse of their home kit.

A brand new set of kits was introduced for the 2007–08 season due to the club changing kit supplier from Uhlsport to Umbro. The home shirt retains the traditional red and white stripes.

Dates	Kit Sponsor
1982–1982	J.Arthur Bowers
1983–1989	F&T Tyres
1989–1990	Wheel Horse
1990–1991	Pickfords
1991–1992	Findalls
1992–1998	Lincolnshire Echo
1998–2003	Alstom
2003–2004	Siemens
2004–2006	The Community Solutions Group
2006–2010	Starglaze
2010–2011	GoCar
2011–2013	TSM
2013–2016	Bishop Grosseteste University

In popular culture

The world-famous Dambusters theme is usually played during pre-match formalities. This is because The Dambusters were based just outside of Lincoln, being formed at the nearby RAF Scampton during World War II, and are therefore at the heart of the city's history.

Current squad

First team

As of 1 August 2014.

Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.

No. Position Player 1 GK Paul Farman 2 DF Tom Miller 3 DF Sean Newton 4 MF Todd Jordan 4 MF Hamza Bencherif 6 DF Tony Diagne 7 FW Sahr Kabba 8 MF Alan Power 9 FW Jordan Burrow

No. Position Player 10 MF Karl Ledsham 11 FW Ben Tomlinson 12 MF Arnaud Mendy 14 MF Jon Nolan 16 FW Conner Robinson 17 MF Jake Caprice 18 MF Kegan Everington 19 FW Alex Simmons 23 DF Nat Brown

Out on loan

Nick Draper – Exeter City

Coaching staff

Role	Nationality	Name
Manager		Gary Simpson
Assistant Manager		Grant Brown
First Team Coach		Chris Moyses
Youth Academy Manager		Damian Froggatt
Goalkeeping Coach		David Preece
Physio		Kevin Oxby

Managerial history

Name	Nat	From	To	Record
				P	W	D	L	Win %
Alf Martin		1896	1897	-	-	-	-	-
James West		1897	1900	-	-	-	-	-
David Calderhead		1 August 1900	1 August 1907	256	89	53	114	34.77%
John Henry Strawson		1 August 1907	31 May 1914	195	52	40	103	26.67%
George Fraser		1 August 1919	31 May 1921	46	10	10	26	21.74%
David Calderhead, Jnr.		1 April 1921	31 May 1924	118	37	28	53	31.36%
Horace Henshall		1 August 1924	1 May 1927	132	51	28	53	38.64%
Harry Parkes		1 May 1927	1 May 1936	395	187	78	130	47.34%
Joe McClelland		1 May 1936	1 January 1946	140	61	27	52	43.57%
Bill Anderson		1 January 1946	1 January 1965	855	307	189	359	35.91%
Con Moulson		1 January 1965	1 March 1965	8	0	0	8	00.00%
Roy Chapman		1 March 1965	31 May 1966	65	15	13	37	23.08%
Ron Gray		1 August 1966	1 July 1970	184	60	55	69	32.61%
Bert Loxley		1 July 1970	1 March 1971	32	12	4	16	37.50%
David Herd		1 March 1971	6 December 1972	82	30	30	22	36.59%
Graham Taylor		6 December 1972	20 June 1977	211	97	61	53	45.97%
George Kerr		20 June 1977	1 December 1977	18	5	4	9	27.78%
Willie Bell		21 December 1977	23 October 1978	40	11	13	16	27.50%
Colin Murphy		6 November 1978	1 May 1985	309	121	88	100	39.16%
John Pickering		1 July 1985	20 December 1985	24	4	6	14	16.67%
George Kerr		20 December 1985	7 March 1987	61	17	17	27	27.87%
Peter Daniel		7 March 1987	1 May 1987	12	2	5	5	16.67%
Colin Murphy		26 May 1987	20 May 1990	103	39	26	38	37.86%
Allan Clarke		3 June 1990	30 November 1990	18	3	6	9	16.67%
Steve Thompson		1 November 1990	31 May 1993	128	48	36	44	37.50%
Keith Alexander		1 August 1993	16 May 1994	48	13	13	22	27.08%
Sam Ellis		1 August 1994	4 September 1995	56	21	12	23	37.50%
Steve Wicks		4 September 1995	16 October 1995	7	0	2	5	00.00%
John Beck		16 October 1995	6 March 1998	130	48	42	40	36.92%
Shane Westley		7 March 1998	11 November 1998	30	9	5	16	30.00%
John Reames		11 November 1998	1 June 2000	87	30	21	36	34.48%
Phil Stant		1 June 2000	27 February 2001	38	12	10	16	31.58%
Alan Buckley		28 February 2001	25 April 2002	69	16	24	29	23.19%
Keith Alexander		5 May 2002	24 May 2006	213	81	69	63	38.03%
John Schofield		15 June 2006	15 October 2007	51	21	12	18	41.18%
Peter Jackson		30 October 2007	2 September 2009	92	32	21	39	34.78%
Chris Sutton		28 September 2009	28 September 2010	51	14	14	23	28.00%
Steve Tilson		15 October 2010	10 October 2011	37	11	7	19	29.73%
David Holdsworth		31 October 2011	17 February 2013	71	21	19	31	29.57%
Gary Simpson		27 February 2013	Present	58	23	15	20	39.65%

Honours

League

• Division 3 (North)
  • Winners (3): 1931–32, 1947–48, 1951–52
  • Runners-up (3): 1927–28, 1930–31, 1936–37
• League Two
  • Winners (1): 1975–76¹
  • Runners-up (1): 1980–81¹
  • Third-placed (1): 1997–98²
  • Play-off finalists (2): 2002–03², 2004–05
  • Play-off semi-finalists (3): 2003–04², 2005–06, 2006–07
• Football Conference
  • Winners (1): 1987–88
• Midland League / Central League
  • Winners (4): 1889–90, 1908–09, 1911–12⁵, 1920–21
  • Third-placed (1): 1890–91

Cup

• Football League Trophy
  • Runners-up (1): 1983³
  • (Northern Section) Finalists (1): 2000–01
• Conference Championship Shield
  • Winners (1): 1987–88

Other

• Lincolnshire Senior Cup
  • Winners (37): 1886–87, 1890–91, 1891–92, 1893–94, 1907–08, 1909–10, 1911–12, 1913–14, 1914–15, 1919–20, 1921–22, 1923–24, 1925–26, 1926–27, 1930–31, 1931–32, 1933–34, 1934–35, 1945–46, 1947–48, 1948–49, 1950–51, 1955–56 (Shared), 1961–62, 1963–64 (Shared), 1965–66 (Shared), 1966–67, 1968–69, 1969–70, 1974–75, 1980–81, 1981–82, 1984–85, 1990–91, 1997–98, 2004–05, 2006–07
  • Runners-up (29): 1892–93, 1894–95, 1896–97, 1900–01, 1902–03, 1903–04, 1908–09, 1912–13, 1920–21, 1922–23, 1925–26, 1927–28, 1928–29, 1929–30, 1932–33, 1935–36, 1936–37, 1937–38, 1946–47, 1949–50, 1951–52, 1954–55, 1958–59, 1959–60, 1976–77, 1978–79, 1985–86, 2007–08, 2009–10
• Pontin's Reserve League Cup
  • Winners (1): 2006–07
• Fred Green Memorial Trophy⁶
  • Winners (1): 2006–07
• John Reames Memorial Trophy
  • Winners (1): 2013–14
• Midland League
  • Runners-up (1): 1932–33
  • Third-placed (1): 1928–29

Highest finishes

• Highest league finishes
  • Overall
    • 5th in the Championship (1): 1901–02⁴
  • By league
    • 5th in the Championship (1): 1901–02⁴
    • 4th in League One (1): 1981–82²
    • 1st in Division Three (North) (3): 1931–32, 1947–48, 1951–52
    • 1st in League Two (1): 1975–76¹
    • 1st in the Football Conference (1): 1987–88
• FA Cup
  • Last 16 (3): 1886–87, 1889–90 and 1901–02
• League Cup
  • 4th round (1): 1967–68
• Football League Trophy
  • Runners-up (1): 1983³
• FA Trophy
  • Quarter-finalists (1): 1987–88

League Performance

To end of 2013–4 season

• Division 2: 1892–1908, 1909–11, 1912–20, 1932–4, 1948–9, 1952–61 (34 seasons)
• Division 3/League 1: 1961–2, 1976–9, 1981–6, 1998–9 (10 seasons)
• Division 3 North: 1921–32, 1934–48, 1949–52 (21 seasons)
• Division 4/League 2: 1962–76, 1979–81, 1986–7, 1988–98, 1999–2011 (39 seasons)
• Football Conference: 1987-8, 2011–4 (4 seasons)

Notes:

¹ Then known as Division 4

² Then known as Division 3

³ This final has not been officially recognised in the current Football League Trophy records, and consequently the club have not been credited as runners-up in the history books of this competition. This is due to the fact that in between the abandonment of the Texaco Cup/Anglo-Scottish Cup and the arrival of the current competition, this was the competition that took place (the Football League Group Trophy) but has not been considered an "official" replacement/transition between the trophies

⁴ Then known as Division 2

⁵ Central League

⁶ Competition contested every year from 2007 against local rivals, Lincoln United

Records

Attendances

League

• 5 March 1949 v. Grimsby Town – 23,146 (The Football League)
• 2 May 1988 v. Wycombe Wanderers – 9,432 (Football Conference)
• 15 May 2004 v. Huddersfield Town – 9,202 (All-Seated Stadium)
• 2 May 1998 v. Brighton & Hove Albion– 9,890 (All-Seated Stadium) (The Football League)

Cup

• 30 January 1954 v. Preston North End – 23,027 (FA Cup)
• 15 November 1967 v. Derby County – 23,196 (League Cup)
• 13 March 2001 v. Port Vale – 4,831 (League Trophy)

Appearances

Overall

• Grant Brown – 469 (462 + 7 sub)

League

• Grant Brown – 407 (401 + 6 sub)

Cup

• Grant Brown – 62 (61 + 1 sub) All Cups
• George Fraser – 27 FA Cup
• Gordon Hobson – 23 League Cup
• Dave Smith – 23 (22 + 1 sub) League Cup
• Grant Brown – 22 (21 + 1 sub) League Trophy

Scorers

Overall (league)

• Andy Graver – 143 (1950–55, 1958–61)

Overall (cup)

• Billy Dinsale – 14 (1926–31) FA Cup
• Tony Cunningham – 8 (1979–83) League Cup
• George Shipley – 8 (1979–85) League Cup
• Lee Thorpe – 7 (1997–2002) League Trophy

In one season (overall)

• Allan Hall – 45 (1931–32)

In one season (league)

• Allan Hall – 41 (1931–32) Football League
• Phil Brown – 16 (1987–88) Conference National

In one season (cup)

• Billy Gillespie – 5 (1896–97) FA Cup
• Mick Harford – 5 (1980–81) League Cup
• Lee Thorpe – 6 (2000–01) League Trophy

Transfer fees (top 5)

Paid

• Dean Walling – £75,000 to Carlisle United, 1997
• Tony Battersby – £75,000 to Bury, 1998
• Grant Brown – £63,000 to Leicester City, 1989
• Gordon Hobson – £60,000 to Southampton, 1989
• Lee Beevers – £50,000 to Boston United, 2004

Received

• Jack Hobbs – >£750,000² from Liverpool, 2005
• Gavin Gordon – £550,000³ from Cardiff City, 2000
• Gareth Ainsworth – £500,000¹ from Port Vale, 1997
• Darren Huckerby – £400,000 from Newcastle United, 1995
• Matt Carbon – £385,000 from Derby County, 1996

Notes:

¹ Official club record

² Unofficial club record

³ Fee based on appearances for Cardiff; due to complexities, the precise fee cannot be determined

Victories

League

• 11–1 v. Crewe Alexandra (Home), The Football League, 29 September 1951
• 2–8 v. Rotherham Town (Away), The Football League, 2 December 1893
• 7–1 v. Rochdale (Home), The Football League, 21 October 2006
• 5–0 v. Altrincham (Home), Conference National, 26 March 1988
• 0–5 v. Barnet (Away), The Football League, 14 October 2006
• 5–0 v. Grimsby (Home), The Football League 25 March 2006

Cup

• 9–0 v. Boston Town (Home), FA Cup, 25 October 1890
• 0–13 v. Peterborough United (Away), FA Cup, 12 October 1895
• 5–0 v. Hull City (Home), League Cup, 9 September 1980
• 0–3 v. Doncaster Rovers (Away), League Cup, 18 August 1992
• 4–0 v. Hartlepool United (Home), League Trophy, 6 February 1985
• 0–3 v. Hartlepool United (Away), League Trophy, 26 January 1999

Players

Youngest player

• Mark Burnett – 16 years and 11 days v. Bristol Rovers, 16 July 1988, Football League
• Shane Nicholson – 16 years and 112 days v. Charlton Athletic, 23 September 1986, League Cup
• Scott Riseborough – 14 years and 27 days v. Ipswich Town, 12 December 1956, League Cup
• Ryan Clark – 2 years 173 days v. Ipswich Town, 12 December 1956, League Cup
• Paul Blackett – 6 years 322 days v. Ipswich Town, 12 December 1956, League Cup

Oldest player

• Albert Iremonger – 42 years and 312 days v. Doncaster Rovers, 23 April 1927, Football League

International appearances whilst at the club

Name	Representing country	Caps	Versus
Gareth McAuley	Northern Ireland	5	Germany (June 2005) Portugal (November 2005) Estonia (March 2006) Uruguay (May 2006) Romania (May 2006)
Delroy Facey	Grenada	5	Puerto Rico (October 2010) St. Kitts and Nevis (October 2010) Guadeloupe (October 2010) Martinique (November 2010) Trinidad and Tobago (November 2010)
George Moulson	Republic of Ireland	3	Portugal (May 1948) Spain (May 1948) Switzerland (December 1948)
David Pugh	Wales	3	Scotland (February 1900) Scotland (March 1901) England (March 1901)
Con Moulson	Republic of Ireland	2	Hungary (May 1936) Luxembourg (May 1936)
Dean Walling	St. Kitts and Nevis	2	British Virgin Islands (April 1998) Guadeloupe (April 1998)
Jeff Hughes	Northern Ireland	2	Uruguay (May 2006) Romania (May 2006)
Arthur Fitzsimons	Republic of Ireland	1	Czechoslovakia (May 1959)
David Felgate	Wales	1	Romania (October 1983)
Albert Jarrett	Sierra Leone	1	Egypt (September 2010)

Note: Italics denote that the player came on as a substitute

Notable players and managers

In the PFA Fans' Favourites survey published by the Professional Footballers' Association in December 2007, Andy Graver was listed as the all-time favourite player amongst Lincoln City fans.

Name	Nat	Description
Ainsworth, Gareth		Now manager of Wycombe Wanderers Was sold to Port Vale for a then club record (and still official) fee of £500,000 and was voted 4th in Lincoln City's 100 League Legends
Burnett, Mark		Also played for Royal Air Force
Black, Kingsley		Also played for Nottingham Forest, Sheffield United and Grimsby Town
Branfoot, Ian		Later Fulham, Southampton and Reading manager
Carbon, Matt		Also played for Derby County and West Bromwich Albion
Cort, Carl		Also played for Leicester City with past spells at Wolverhampton Wanderers, Wimbledon and Newcastle United
Croft, Gary		Also played for Ipswich and Blackburn as well as Grimsby Town Played a minor role in the 2007–08 season for the Imps after a season of injury
Eaden, Nicky		Also played for Barnsley, Birmingham City and Wigan Athletic Helped the club reach their fifth successive League Two play-off campaign in the 2006–07 season
Fashanu, John		Television presenter and ex-Millwall, Wimbledon, Norwich City and Aston Villa player. Played at Lincoln as a trainee
Forrester, Jamie		Also played for Leeds United, AJ Auxerre and FC Utrecht Helped City reach the 2005–06 League Two play-off semi-finals, while on loan Finished as top-scorer for Lincoln as a permanent signing in the 2006–07 campaign which also led to a play-off semi-final defeat
Greaves, Ian		Also played for Manchester United
Grobbelaar, Bruce		Also played for Liverpool Saw out his latter days at Lincoln
Harford, Mick		Also played for Luton Town, Newcastle United, Birmingham City and Chelsea. Later managed Rotherham United and Luton Town
Harford, Ray		Later Blackburn Rovers, Queens Park Rangers also Fulham and Luton Town as manager
Hobbs, Jack		Signed for Liverpool at the end of the 2004–05 season Youngest ever player to play for Lincoln first team
Huckerby, Darren		Has since retired whilst at San Jose Earthquakes of Major League Soccer, previously of Manchester City, Newcastle United, etc. Was an early product of City's youth set-up and was sold to Newcastle United
Hughes, Jeff		Northern Ireland international, now playing for Notts County Helped to guide the club to two unsuccessful League Two play-off campaigns and was then sold to Crystal Palace
McClaren, Steve		Later England and Middlesbrough manager
McGlen, Billy		Also played for Manchester United
Megson, Gary		Also played for Everton, Newcastle United and Manchester City
Moses, Adie		Also played for Barnsley
Neale, Phil, OBE		Also played for England cricket
Nicholson, Shane		Yongest ever League player and a former Derby County, West Bromwich Albion, Sheffield United player
Peake, Trevor		Also played for Coventry City, Luton Town Won the FA Cup with Coventry City
Redfearn, Neil		Also played for Bolton Wanderers, Barnsley, Wigan Athletic, Charlton Athletic
Savage, Robert		Also played for Liverpool, Manchester United
Sinclair, Frank		Also played for Chelsea, Leicester City Won the FA Cup and League cup with Chelsea and Leicester respectively
Sutton, Chris		Also played for Norwich City, Blackburn Rovers, Chelsea, Celtic, Birmingham City, Aston Villa Sutton scored over 150 career goals in over 400 league appearances spanning 16 years in the English and Scottish Premier Leagues. He was capped once by England
Somma, Davide		Also played for Leeds United helped Lincoln avoid relegation with 9 goals in 14 games. His 9 goals saw him finish as Lincoln's top scorer
Taylor, Graham		Later England, Watford, Aston Villa, Wolverhampton Wanderers manager Guided Lincoln to their most successful ever league campaign by winning Division Four (now League Two) in 1975–76
Trueman, Fred		Also played cricket for England
Williams, Paul		Also played for Derby County, Coventry City, Southampton
Woodcock, Tony		Also played for England, 1. FC Köln, Nottingham Forest, Arsenal

Note: Names in bold are still at the club

See also

• List of Lincoln City F.C. players
• List of Lincoln City F.C. seasons
• Lincoln City L.F.C. – affiliated women's football team

External links

• Official Lincoln City website
• Lincoln City's homepage Sky Sports
• Lincoln City's homepage BBC Sport