News
A Lincolnshire Football Programme Fair is coming to the Ruston Sports and Social Club on Sunday 19 October between 10.45 and 2pm, with admission just £1.
For more information contact Steve Harding on 01733 760369 or email Steven.harding50@ntlworld.com – Football Programme Collections Wanted!
Ruston Sports and Social Club, Newark Road, Lincoln, LN6 8RN
News
Thanks to Donald Nannestad
Matt Carmichael
Matt Carmichael was signed by Colin Murphy in August 1989. At the time he was planning to join the Met Police after having previously served in the British Army but Colin offered him a professional contract and his career changed track. He was initially used as a striker and scored on his debut against Scunthorpe United but later converted to centre back. He was voted the supporters player of the season in 1991-92 and made over 150 first team appearances before moving on to Scunthorpe in July 1993. Matt later played for Preston, Mansfield, Doncaster and Darlington. Matt is vice chairman of the Former Players Association.
Debut vs Scunthorpe, home 19 August 1989
Lincoln City Record
Football League: 113 appearances plus 20 as substitute, 18 goals
FA Cup: 4 appearances plus 1 as substitute
Football League Cup: 9 appearances plus 1 as substitute, 1 goalOther: 7 appearances plus 1 as substitute, 2 goals
Chris Moyses
Chris Moyses was a full-back who made his first senior appearances for City as a 16 year old when he played in three Football League Trophy games in August 1982. Chris, who was born and bred in Lincoln, initially joined the Imps under the Youth Opportunities Programme and progressed to becoming an apprentice and then signed as a professional. He made his Football League debut at Millwall in May 1984 and featured in the following three games only to be released at the end of that season. Chris went on to play for Halifax and was later at clubs including Grantham, Spalding, King’s Lynn and Bourne. He returned to the Imps in May 2011 when he became involved in the youth team. In November 2014 Chris became caretaker manager and the following month took over as manager. He began the rebuilding of the team before leaving his role in May 2016 having signed several of the players who earned promotion back to the Football League the following season.
Debut vs Scunthorpe United (Football League Trophy) , away 14 August 1982
Lincoln City Record
Football League: 2 appearances plus 2 as substitute
Football League Trophy: 3 appearances
Tony Cunningham
Tony Cunningham was a powerful striker who was brought to Lincoln by Colin Murphy from non-league club Stourbridge in May 1979. He made an instant impact on his debut in a League Cup tie against Barnsley and marked his first City game with a goal. Tony remained a regular first team player during his three full seasons at Sincil Bank and finished as leading scorer with 15 league and cup goals in 1981-82 when the Imps narrowly missed out on promotion to second tier football. He was sold to Barnsley in September 1982 and and made 40 League appearances for the Reds scoring 11 goals before joining Sheffield Wednesday in November 1983. Tony later played for clubs including Manchester City and Newcastle United making a total of almost 500 senior appearances before ending his career with Wycombe Wanderers. One of his sons Karl later also played for the Imps.
Debut vs Barnsley, home (Football League Cup) 11 August 1979
Lincoln City Record:
Football League: 111 appearances plus 12 as substitute, 32 goals
FA Cup: 5 appearances plus 1 as substitute
Football League Cup: 13 appearances, 8 goals
Other Games: 6 appearances, 2 goals
News
Out of just shy of 100 entries in our Cathedral Exhibition Activity Sheet competition we had six joint winners who got all the questions spot on and forecast correctly that the Imps would be in 7th place when the exhibition came to a close.
Georgie Clews, aged 10, of Leicestershire was the winner drawn out of the Trust bucket hat and wins a £50 voucher for Waterstones. Well done young lady! Georgia was delighted to hear the news and has never won anything before so we hope she enjoys spending her prize.
As a bonus we sent her an Imps pin badge too and you never know we might have gained a new fan of the mighty Imps.
Thank you to everyone who entered and of course everyone who visited the exhibition in the Chapter House over August. It was a blast!
News
Brittany Bell, on behalf of Lincoln City Foundation, receives a donation of £135 from Trust officials and members of the Fan Village family as part of our continuing support.
News
News
Imps captain Tendayi Darikwa seen here with the first Red Imps Community Trust Player of the Month award of the season decided by – you – and presented by Trust representatives!
All photographs courtesy of Graham Burrell
Rob's Column
Courtesy of the Lincolnshire Echo
There’s an interesting interview with Mark Devlin, Orient CEO, on the latest Business of Sport podcast. It’s interesting in itself, but also because the challenges facing his club are strikingly similar to those at Lincoln City.
I make no excuses in revealing what these challenges mostly comprise. The financial circumstances at League One level are all-consuming for those owners, board members, and senior staff who have the responsibility of overseeing that aspect of their business.
Orient are not unlike the Imps as a club. Their ground holds around 9,000 fans – not huge therefore – and, after Barry Hearn departed and a very bad time ensued, they have had an exciting rise from non-league to League One. Their current joint owners are responsible people who recognise sustainability, however, difficult, has to be the aim.
They lost £4m last year amongst average losses of £5 to 6m in our division. The mean losses in the Championship were £15m to £20m per club but most Orient supporters, and indeed the owners, want the upward trajectory to continue. They’d love to rise still further and enjoy life in the second tier. As would we of course.
There’s a trend now that sees promoted clubs looking likely to be the ones relegated next time round. That’s applicable to the Premier League and the Championship too, such is the massive step up in what it all costs.
That then sums up what we’re up against. Losing money in League One, owners covering it, getting promoted, losing way more, and owners covering that, is not how sustainability works by any stretch of the financial imagination.
Mr Devlin says Orient have really good owners but they need new investors alongside them, or completely replacing them, if their ambitions and their fans’ wishes might come true. We’ll no doubt hear from the admirable people at the LNER that that’s what’s needed at our club too over the next few years, despite the hugely generous measures they’ve personally overseen.
The only alternative of course is to enjoy those young players who emerge on the scene and not be too dismayed when they get sold. That’s what’s happened here recently, and, if that helps relieve the massive dilemma I describe above if only a bit, then very well done to the people who made that happen.
News
Chris Ashton, Graham Bubs Burrell and Alan Long were all presented with the canvases used during our recent Lincoln Cathedral Exhibition at the home game against Mansfield Town on the 30 August 2025 and can be seen below with them.
News
Voting open until Tuesday at 7pm.
This poll is no longer accepting votes
News
Following the end of our successful exhibition at Lincoln Cathedral, we are now selling the canvasses that were used as part of the display.
No reasonable offer refused – please come to the Red Imps Community Trust pod on Saturday in the Fan Village as all money raised will be split between the Trust and Lincoln Cathedral!
