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 in fact 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 initially, where, before the club gained entry into the Football League and professional status, the County Cup was their main priority. They got their hands on it for the first time in the 1886–87 season with a 2–0 replay victory over neighbours Grimsby Town (the initial match had finished 2–2).
Lincoln then soon helped to form what was then the Second Division in 1892–93 season as there was an increasing amount of clubs wanting 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.
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.
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 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.
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 have held on to it ever since.
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 half-time.
The Lincolnshire derby, between Lincoln City and local rivals Boston United, being played at Sincil Bank.Recently they have spent most of their time in the former Division 3 (now League Two) with one season spent in Division 2 (now League One) in the 1998–99 season.
In 2002–03, with the departure of manager Alan Buckley his assistant, Keith Alexander, was put in charge and 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 Premiership 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.
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.
In recent years, the club have produced arguably one of the most successful youth academies in the lower leagues of English football. Players such as Jack Hobbs, who now plays for Leicester, Scott Loach, who now plays for Championship side Watford and England Under 21's, Lee Frecklington has signed for Championship side Peterborough.
Up and coming Youngsters at Sincil bank include Danny Hone and Andy Hutchinson Shane Clarke
Both of which have featured in the first team in the 2007–08 season
Other young talent who were not products of the club's youth academy, yet were snapped up at a young age, have been seen in the likes of Gareth McAuley, Jeff Hughes, Lee Beevers, Paul Green, János Kovács and Dany N'Guessan emphasising the club's desire to bring future success through new talent and hot prospects and not just proven players. |