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Lincoln City F.C.

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For the Gibraltarian football club, see Lincoln Red Imps F.C.

Lincoln City
File:Lincoln city (2014).png
Full nameLincoln City Football Club
Nickname(s)The Imps
Founded1884; 140 years ago (1884)
GroundSincil Bank
Capacity10,120[1]
ChairmanClive Nates[2]
ManagerMichael Appleton
LeagueEFL League One
2023–24EFL League One, 7th of 24
Websitehttp://www.weareimps.com
Current season

Lincoln City Football Club are a professional association football club based in the city of Lincoln, Lincolnshire, England. The team compete in EFL League One, the third tier of the English football league system. Nicknamed the "Imps" after the legend of the Lincoln Imp, they have played at 10,120-capacity Sincil Bank since their move from John O'Gaunts in 1895. For sponsorship reasons the ground has been re-branded as LNER Stadium in late 2019 on a three-year contract, with previous renamings in 2012 and 2013.[3][4]

Traditionally they play in red and white striped shirts with black shorts and red and white socks. They hold rivalries with other Lincolnshire clubs, particularly Football League sides Scunthorpe United and Grimsby Town, as well as non-League Boston United.

History

Main article: History of Lincoln City F.C.
Chart of table positions of Lincoln City in the Football League

Football in the city of Lincoln had been prominent since the 1860s although not strictly connected to the modern day club. After the disbanding of Lincoln Rovers (formerly Lincoln Recreation) in 1884, Lincoln City FC was formed as an amateur football association, and the first game Lincoln played was an emphatic 9–1 victory over local rivals Sleaford, on 4 October 1884. Originally they played at the John O'Gaunts ground, provided by wealthy local brewer Robert Dawber.

Lincoln turned professional in the 1891–92 season, and 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.[5] Their first home game was also against Sheffield United, this time, however, Lincoln won 1–0. Due to Dawber's death in 1895, Lincoln moved from the John O'Gaunts Ground to Sincil Bank.

Lincoln fans do a card display before a match against Swindon

They failed re-election to the Football League in 1908. They won immediate re-election after winning the next year's Midland League, and would repeat this feat after failing re-election again in 1911 and 1920. Founder members of the Football League Third Division North in 1921, they won promotion as champions in 1931–32, but were relegated two seasons later. Crowned Third Division North champions again in 1947–48, they were relegated the next year, but would remain in the second tier for nine seasons after again winning the Third Division North title in 1951–52. Two successive relegations left them in the Fourth Division by 1962, where they would remain until Graham Taylor's title winning campaign of 1975–76. The next would oscillate between the Third and Fourth division for the next 10 years, missing out on promotion to the Second Division in 1982 and 1983.

Lincoln were relegated to the Fourth Division at the end of the 1985–86 season, and the year after that they became the first team to suffer automatic relegation from the Football League. They regained their Football League place automatically via promotion as champions of the Conference at the first attempt. In the 1997–98 season, Lincoln were promoted from the Third Division (previously the Fourth Division), but were immediately relegated back on the next season. On 3 May 2002 Lincoln entered into administration[6]. Lincoln City were relegated again from League Two (previously the Third Division) on the last day of the end of the 2010–11 season. In the 2016–17 season of the National League (English football) (previously the Conference), Lincoln City under Danny Cowley were promoted as champions back to the Football League.

In the 2016–17 FA Cup, Lincoln beat Championship side Ipswich Town, in a replay, after progressing past Guiseley, Altrincham and Oldham Athletic, before defeating Championship leaders Brighton and Hove Albion at Sincil Bank to make the fifth round of the FA cup for the first time since the end of the Victorian era. On 18 February, Lincoln went on to beat top flight side Burnley 1–0 to historically go through to the FA Cup quarter final, the first time a non-league club had progressed to the last eight since 1914.[7][8] In the quarter finals, they were defeated 5–0 at Arsenal.[9]

In the 2017–18 season, on 6 February 2018, Lincoln beat Chelsea U21s in the semi-final of the 2017–18 EFL Trophy, taking them to Wembley Stadium for the first time in the 134 years of the club. They went on to win the final against Shrewsbury Town on 8 April 2018. The winning goal was scored by Elliot Whitehouse in the 16th minute and was the only goal of the match.[10] On 12 May Lincoln drew 0–0 with Exeter City F.C in the first leg of the League Two Playoff.[11] In the second leg, on 17 May, Lincoln lost 3–1.[12]

In the 2018–19 season, on 5 April 2019, Lincoln announced that Nettleham Ladies FC would be rebranded as Lincoln City Women from 1 June.[13] Lincoln won League Two, on 22 April 2019, after a 0–0 draw against Tranmere Rovers, having been top of the table since 25 August 2018. [14] Promotion from League Two represented Lincoln's first season in the EFL League One since the 1998-99 campaign.

Lincoln began their first season in the third tier in over twenty years with relative success, victorious in their first three games against Accrington Stanley, Rotherham and Southend.[15][16][17] On 9 September 2019 the team's then manager, Danny Cowley, announced his departure to join Championship side Huddersfield Town, having guided Lincoln to two promotions in his previous three seasons alongside brother and assistant manager Nicky.[18]

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[1] and is colloquially known to fans as "The Bank". It is overlooked by Lincoln Cathedral.[19] 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.[20] Martin Peters paraded the FIFA World Cup Trophy at the ground in March 2010 as part of its global tour.[21] FA WSL club Lincoln Ladies played home games at Sincil Bank in their 2011 season.[22] The Ladies' club had previously hosted Arsenal Ladies there in an FA Women's Cup semi-final in March 2008.[23]

Rivals

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

Lincoln City is one of three professional football clubs in Lincolnshire. Lincoln City's main rivals are Grimsby Town and Scunthorpe United, which at various points fans have considered one bigger than the other. Other prominent Lincolnshire rivals of the past include Gainsborough Trinity and Boston United, however meetings are nowadays limited between the clubs.

Nottinghamshire clubs Mansfield Town and Notts County are also considered rivals, and Peterborough United, Hull City and York City are clubs that have had some sort of rivalry with The Imps in the past. Lincoln United, the other football club based in Lincoln, are further down the footballing pyramid and are not a considered rival.

Crest and colours

Crest

File:Lincoln City F.C. logo.png
Lincoln City's logo used until 2001

Lincoln City currently sport a "traditional" Lincoln Imp badge, a crest synonymous with the success of the 70s and 80s. The badge was returned in 2014, with general manager John Vickers billing it the start of a "new era".[24] Between the two spells the club used two badges, the first of which being the city's heraldic shield with the letters "L.C.F.C" inscribed onto it. This badge was used until 2001, when the club used a similar design; however, it featured a yellow imp in the centre, with the nickname of "The Imps" written across.

Colours

Traditionally, the colours and design of the Lincoln City strip are a red and white striped shirt along with black shorts and red socks. This varied 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 when the shirt was quartered red and white with white shorts. Currently, the home kit sports the red and white stripes, with a large white box in which the sponsor is placed. Other elements include the club logo in the piece of fabric down the side of the shirt. The shorts as well now sport a primarily black scheme with a red stripe down the side. Their away kit has never retained any single pattern or design, and areas varied vastly throughout the seasons, but is currently grey in colour, with blue accents.

Since 2015, the club's kits have been manufactured by Errea. Previous manufacturers have included Umbro (1973–78, 2007–11), Adidas (1978–83), Lowfields (1983–85), Osca (1985–87), Spall (1987–90), Matchwinner (1990–94), Admiral (1994–97), Super League (1997–99), Avec Sportswear (1999–2001), Imps Sport (2001–04), Lincoln City Collection (2004–06), Uhlsport (2006–07), and Nike (2011–15). Their current shirt sponsors are SRP Hire.

Previous sponsors have included J.Arthur Bowers (1982), F&T Tyres (1983–89), Wheel Horse (1989–90), Pickfords (1990–91), Findalls (1991–92), Lincolnshire Echo (1992–98), Alstom (1998–2003), Siemens (2003–04), The Community Solutions Group (2004–06), Starglaze (2006–10), GoCar (2010–11), TSM (2011–13), Bishop Grosseteste University (2013–18) and NSUK Asbestos Surveys (2018–19).

Current squad

First team

As of 2 September 2019.[25]

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

No. Pos. Nation Player
1 GK England ENG Josh Vickers
3 DF England ENG Harry Toffolo
4 MF Northern Ireland NIR Michael O’Connor
5 DF England ENG Jason Shackell (vice-captain)
6 DF Republic of Ireland IRL Cian Bolger
7 MF England ENG Tom Pett
8 MF Republic of Ireland IRL Lee Frecklington (captain)
10 MF England ENG Jack Payne
11 MF Portugal POR Bruno Andrade
12 MF England ENG Ellis Chapman
16 MF England ENG Michael Bostwick
17 FW England ENG Tyler Walker (on loan from Nottingham Forest)
18 MF England ENG Jorge Grant
No. Pos. Nation Player
19 MF Wales WAL Joe Morrell (on loan from Bristol City)
20 DF England ENG Callum Connolly (on loan from Everton)
21 GK England ENG Grant Smith
22 DF Wales WAL Aaron Lewis
23 DF Wales WAL Neal Eardley (third captain)
24 DF England ENG Max Melbourne (on loan from West Brom)
26 MF England ENG Harry Anderson
27 DF England ENG Jamie McCombe
28 MF England ENG Jake Hesketh (on loan from Southampton)
29 FW England ENG John Akinde
33 DF England ENG Ben Coker
TBA MF Republic of Ireland IRL Zachary Elbouzedi

Out on loan

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

No. Pos. Nation Player
14 FW United States USA Jordan Adebayo-Smith (at Boston United until 1 January 2020)
No. Pos. Nation Player
15 MF Finland FIN Alex Bradley (at Harrogate Town until 30 June 2020)

Under 18s squad

As of 14 October 2019[26]

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

No. Pos. Nation Player
— GK England ENG Sam Long
— GK England ENG Ross Woolley
35 DF England ENG Joshua Woodcock
32 DF England ENG Gianluca Bucci
— DF England ENG Ryan Flitton
— DF Poland POL Kacsper Gruszczynski
34 DF England ENG Ziyad Al-Oyouni
— DF England ENG Jasper Tetlow
— DF Ireland EIR Sean Roughan
— MF England ENG Niall Parsons
No. Pos. Nation Player
— MF England ENG Tyler Finlay
— MF England ENG Tobias Liversidge
— MF Indonesia IDN Jack Brown
— MF England ENG Lewis Inglis
— MF England ENG Cameo Scott
31 MF England ENG Ben Sault
— MF England ENG Haydn Tear
— FW England ENG Nathan Odokonyero
— FW Greece GRE Elliott Sartorius
— FW England ENG Max Gee

Club management

Coaching staff

Role Nationality Name
Manager England Michael Appleton
Assistant Manager England David Kerslake
First Team Coach/Under-23 Manager England Jamie McCombe
First Team Goalkeeper Coach England Steve Croudson

Managerial history

Name Nat From To Record
P W D L Win %
John Strawson England Sep 1892 Feb 1896 97 31 11 55 31.96%
Alf Martin England 1896 Mar 1897 35 9 11 24 25.71%
James West England 1897 1900 106 34 22 50 32.08%
David Calderhead Scotland 1 August 1900 1 August 1907 256 89 53 114 34.77%
John Henry Strawson England 1 August 1907 31 May 1914 195 52 40 103 26.67%
George Fraser Scotland 1 August 1919 31 May 1921 46 10 10 26 21.74%
David Calderhead Jr. Scotland 1 April 1921 31 May 1924 118 37 28 53 31.36%
Horace Henshall England 1 August 1924 1 May 1927 132 51 28 53 38.64%
Harry Parkes England 1 May 1927 1 May 1936 395 187 78 130 47.34%
Joe McClelland England 1 May 1936 1 January 1946 140 61 27 52 43.57%
Bill Anderson England 1 January 1946 1 January 1965 855 307 189 359 35.91%
Con Moulson Republic of Ireland 1 January 1965 1 March 1965 8 0 0 8 00.00%
Roy Chapman England 1 March 1965 31 May 1966 65 15 13 37 23.08%
Ron Gray England 1 August 1966 1 July 1970 184 60 55 69 32.61%
Bert Loxley England 1 July 1970 1 March 1971 32 12 4 16 37.50%
David Herd Scotland 1 March 1971 6 December 1972 82 30 30 22 36.59%
Graham Taylor England 6 December 1972 20 June 1977 211 97 61 53 45.97%
George Kerr Scotland 20 June 1977 1 December 1977 18 5 4 9 27.78%
Willie Bell Scotland 21 December 1977 23 October 1978 40 11 13 16 27.50%
Colin Murphy England 6 November 1978 1 May 1985 309 121 88 100 39.16%
John Pickering England 1 July 1985 20 December 1985 24 4 6 14 16.67%
George Kerr Scotland 20 December 1985 7 March 1987 61 17 17 27 27.87%
Peter Daniel England 7 March 1987 1 May 1987 12 2 5 5 16.67%
Colin Murphy England 26 May 1987 20 May 1990 103 39 26 38 37.86%
Allan Clarke England 3 June 1990 30 November 1990 18 3 6 9 16.67%
Steve Thompson England 1 November 1990 31 May 1993 128 48 36 44 37.50%
Keith Alexander Saint Lucia 1 August 1993 16 May 1994 48 13 13 22 27.08%
Sam Ellis England 1 August 1994 4 September 1995 56 21 12 23 37.50%
Steve Wicks England 4 September 1995 16 October 1995 7 0 2 5 00.00%
John Beck England 16 October 1995 6 March 1998 130 48 42 40 36.92%
Shane Westley England 7 March 1998 11 November 1998 30 9 5 16 30.00%
John Reames England 11 November 1998 1 June 2000 87 30 21 36 34.48%
Phil Stant England 1 June 2000 27 February 2001 38 12 10 16 31.58%
Alan Buckley England 28 February 2001 25 April 2002 69 16 24 29 23.19%
Keith Alexander Saint Lucia 5 May 2002 24 May 2006 213 81 69 63 38.03%
John Schofield England 15 June 2006 15 October 2007 51 21 12 18 41.18%
Peter Jackson England 30 October 2007 2 September 2009 92 32 21 39 34.78%
Chris Sutton England 28 September 2009 28 September 2010 51 14 14 23 28.00%
Steve Tilson England 15 October 2010 10 October 2011 37 11 7 19 29.73%
David Holdsworth England 31 October 2011 17 February 2013 71 21 19 31 29.57%
Gary Simpson England 27 February 2013 3 November 2014 58 23 15 20 39.65%
Chris Moyses England 3 November 2014 12 May 2016 64 22 15 27 34.38%
Danny Cowley England 12 May 2016 9 September 2019 176 95 42 39 53.98%
Michael Appleton England 23 September 2019 Present 9 3 2 4 33.33%

Honours and achievements

League

Football League Third Division North (3rd tier)

Football League Fourth Division / League Two (4th tier)

Conference / National League (5th tier)

Cup

Football League Trophy

Football League Group Trophy

  • Runners-up (1): 1983

Conference Championship Shield

  • Winners (1): 1988

Other/Youth and Reserve

Lincolnshire Senior Cup

  • Winners (38): 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, 1955–566, 1961–62, 1963–646, 1965–666, 1966–67, 1968–69, 1969–70, 1974–75, 1980–81, 1981–82, 1984–85, 1990–91, 1997–98, 2004–05, 2006–07, 2009–10, 2013–14,
  • Runners-up (32): 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, 2010–11, 2011–12, 2014–15

Pontin's Reserve League Cup

  • Winners (1): 2006–07

Fred Green Memorial Trophy3

  • Winners (1): 2006–07

John Reames Memorial Trophy

  • Winners (1): 2013–14

Midland League / Central League

  • Winners (4): 1889–90, 1908–09, 1911–125, 1920–21
  • Runners-up (1): 1932–33
  • Third-placed (1): 1928–29

Highest finishes

Highest league finish

FA Cup

EFL Cup

FA Trophy

Club records

Source[27]

Notes

  1. ^ a b "10 Things You Never Knew About The Imps". Wrexham Football Club. 22 January 2016. Archived from the original on 15 March 2010. Retrieved 5 May 2017.
  2. ^ "Lincoln City appoint new chairman". bbc.co.uk. Retrieved 6 June 2018.
  3. ^ Who remembers this? When the Sincil Bank name was altered just seven years ago Lincolnshire Live, 30 May 2019. Retrieved 12 December 2019
  4. ^ Sincil Bank renamed "The Gelder Group Stadium" thefootballnetwork, 9 August 2013. Retrieved 12 December 2019
  5. ^ Steve Pearce (1997). "Shoot, The ultimate stats and facts guide to English League Football, p.130". Boxtree.
  6. ^ "City go into administration". Official Website. Lincoln City FC. 3 May 2002. Archived from the original on 7 March 2012. Retrieved 4 March 2010.
  7. ^ "Burnley 0-1 Lincoln City". 18 February 2017 – via www.bbc.co.uk.
  8. ^ "Lincoln City topple Burnley as Sean Raggett seals historic FA Cup shock". Guardian. 18 January 2017. Retrieved 21 February 2017.
  9. ^ "Arsenal 5-0 Lincoln City". 11 March 2017 – via www.bbc.co.uk.
  10. ^ "Lincoln City lift Checkatrade Trophy after narrow win over Shrewsbury". Guardian. 8 April 2018. Retrieved 12 April 2018.
  11. ^ "Lincoln City 0-0 Exeter City". 12 May 2018 – via www.bbc.co.uk.
  12. ^ "Exeter City 3-1 Lincoln City (Agg 3-1)". 17 May 2018 – via www.bbc.co.uk.
  13. ^ "Lincoln City Welcome Women's Football Team". www.redimps.co.uk. Retrieved 24 April 2019.
  14. ^ "Lincoln City 0-0 Tranmere Rovers". 22 April 2019 – via www.bbc.co.uk.
  15. ^ "Lincoln City 2-0 Accrington Stanley". 3 August 2019 – via www.bbc.co.uk.
  16. ^ "Rotherham United 0-2 Lincoln City". 10 August 2019 – via www.bbc.co.uk.
  17. ^ "Lincoln City 4-0 Southend United". 17 August 2019 – via www.bbc.co.uk.
  18. ^ https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/football/49634696M
  19. ^ David Conn (30 November 2009). "Lincoln look to supporters for survival". The Independent. Retrieved 30 November 2009.
  20. ^ "Lions win Victory Shield". The Football Association. 28 November 2008. Archived from the original on 16 July 2011. Retrieved 19 July 2010.
  21. ^ "Football World Cup trophy to be shown at Lincoln City". BBC. 28 February 2010. Retrieved 19 July 2010.
  22. ^ Tony Leighton (30 November 2009). "OOH Lincoln declare intention to join women's Super League in 2011". The Guardian. Retrieved 19 July 2010.
  23. ^ "Lincoln City Ladies v Arsenal Ladies". BBC Lincolnshire. Retrieved 9 March 2010.
  24. ^ "Lincoln City marks anniversary with red Imp return". BBC News. 2 April 2014. Retrieved 4 March 2016.
  25. ^ "First Team". Lincoln City F.C. Retrieved 16 August 2019.
  26. ^ https://www.weareimps.com/academy/u18-squad/. Retrieved 14 October 2019. {{cite web}}: Missing or empty |title= (help)
  27. ^ The Lincoln City FC Archive Archived 8 October 2007 at the Wayback Machine Lincooln City FC, 26 March 2009
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