Thanks to Donald Nannestad

John Kennedy
John Kennedy made over 250 appearances in goal for City after signing for the Imps in July 1967. John’s career began in his native Northern Ireland with the Distillery club. During his time there he played for the Northern Ireland and Great Britain amateur international teams and for the Irish League representative team. In 1965 he signed for Celtic where he played most of his football in the reserves before moving to Sincil Bank in the summer of 1967. He was first choice goalkeeper throughout his seven seasons with City and along with his fellow guests George and Roger he was a member of the team which reached the fourth round of the League Cup in 1967-68 a feat never since bettered. He was the first player to win the Player of the Season award when it started in 1969-70. John was one of the last part-time players to feature regularly for the Imps combining his football career with teaching and training during his lunch break. John left Sincil Bank in the summer of 1974 and had a couple of seasons with Lincoln United who then played in the Yorkshire League. In his first season with United the club reached the quarter finals of the FA Vase with John in goal and a young Phil Neale playing at centre forward. He is involved with our Former Players Association as a committee member.

Debut vs Aldershot, home 19 August 1967

Lincoln City Record

Football League: 251 appearances

FA Cup: 10 appearances

Football League Cup: 16 appearances

Other: 1 appearance

Phil Neale
Phil Neale was a member of the Imps hugely successful 1975-76 team and went on to make over 350 first team appearances during his 11 seasons with the Imps. Phil was first signed as an amateur while he was studying at Leeds University making his first team debut in January 1975. He signed professional forms for City later the same year and from then onwards he was a regularly in the first team defence before leaving Sincil Bank in May 1985. Phil combined his football with a career as a cricketer. He briefly played for Lincolnshire in the Minor Counties Championship before joining Worcestershire. He made over 350 first class appearances scoring over 17,000 runs for Worcestershire and twice captained the team to the County Championship. He was team manager of Northamptonshire and then Warwickshire before being the England team operations manager for 21 years until his retirement. He was awarded the OBE in 2006 for services to cricket.

Debut vs Swindon Town, away (FA Cup), 4 January 1975 as substitute

Lincoln City Record:

Football League: 327 appearances plus 8 as substitute, 22 goals

FA Cup: 16 appearances plus 2 as substitute

Football League Cup: 11 appearances plus 1 as substitute

Other Games: 4 appearances

Trevor Swinburne 
Trevor Swinburne began his long goalkeeping career as an apprentice with Sunderland in the late 1960s and finished it with the Imps 20 years later. During his time at Sunderland he was understudy to Jim Montgomery and made several first team appearances before moving on to Carlisle United in the summer of 1977. Trevor made over 250 first team appearances for Carlisle and then played for Brentford and Leeds United before signing for City in February 1986. Trevor made regular appearances for the Imps until retiring in the summer of 1987. He is a member of the Former Players Association committee and was the Association’s first chairman when it was formed in 2017.

Debut vs Blackpool, away 25 February 1986
Lincoln City Record
Football League: 34 appearances
Football League Cup: 3 appearances 
Football League Trophy: 3 appearances