Lincoln City fans have been celebrating a lot this season as they sit top of League Two (photo credit: Andrew Vaughan/CameraSport).
How have Lincoln City fared so far this season?
By Brandon Prangell
Lincoln City were founded in 1884 and have had a roller-coaster ride since their creation. From suffering relegation from the football league back in 2010/2011 but since 2016/2017 it has only been great news for the club.
In 2016-2017 most football fans in England were introduced to the then National League side as they went on an incredible run in the FA Cup where they beat Brighton & Hove Albion and Burnley on there way to a Quarter-Final for the first time in their history.
They would, unfortunately, go on to get knocked out by Premier League big timers Arsenal when they lost 5-0 at the Emirates but this didn’t stop the Imps from gaining promotion to the football league.
After beating Macclesfield Town and gaining promotion with two games to spare they’ve enjoyed life among the 72 sides playing in the football league. Last season The Imps going on to reach a playoff semi-final though losing it 3-1 to Exeter over the two legs.
The Checkatrade Trophy would be the silver lining in the season though, as they beat League One side Shrewsbury Town 1-0 at Wembley.
English manager Danny Cowley, who used to be a PE teacher at FitzWimarc School, has over seen the meteoric rise, his side are flying high, currently sitting top of the English fourth-tier.
Astute business and clever development of is what has got them there. This included bringing in defender Jason Shackell from Derby County and Barnet favourite John Akinde.
Akinde was an important signing as his goals were imperative to Barnet before they eventually got relegated from the football league last season. His 88 goals in 175 appearances for The Bees. A games to goals rate of just a tick over 50%.
His League Two experience is invaluable, having played 174 times in the division. Currently, he has scored the most for Cowley’s team with five goals in 15 matches.
Shackell’s experience has also been a key factor. He brings top-level football experience from his days at Derby and Millwall in the Championship while also being part of Burnley’s defence in the Premier League.
Lincoln’s first match of the season ended with a 1-0 win against then Dean Austin’s Northampton Town when Matt Green scored the only goal of the game.
They went seven games unbeaten in the league, though cup competitions weren’t great, as they lost 4-1 to Championship outfit Blackburn Rovers in the second round.
Away from home Lincoln started great, going six league away matches without losing before they got trumped by newly promoted Tranmere Rovers in October, James Norwood scored in the 1-0 win.
If there were three league games that symbolised how this season was going for the table toppers, then it would be a 4-1 win against Swindon Town, a 3-0 win away to Exeter and a 6-2 win over Port Vale.
The last game was more recently as they tore Port Vale apart for the second time this season, beating them 6-2 at Vale Park.
With ten successes so far this season, Lincoln lead the table with the best goal difference of 17 and have 32 points, four above second-placed Exeter.
Though drawing in their last game with Cambridge United, a side in 23rd place this season would be looked at as worrying. If you look at the match then you would see that they had ten men for 70 minutes and still held on showing their clear strength.
The imps will host Carlisle United on tomorrow night, where they hope to make it five matches unbeaten. It is likely though that Lincoln will be in and around the playoff spaces even if they do lose their forward momentum.
The football that is being played at Sincil Bank has fans believing that they will be in League One next season. No one is better equipped to take them there than Cowley, they have progress so much since that FA Cup run.
