Player of the Season 2025-26

Thanks to all who took part in the Red Imps Community Trust / Lincoln & District Football Supporters club Player of the Season poll with the trophies given out to the two winners (one voted by the coaching team the other by fans) after the game against Wycombe Wanderers.

Also thanks to those fans and former players who took part in the pictures with the trophies the players keep before the game – and again thanks to Lincoln City Football Club’s Luke Thornhill for facilitating this for another year!

FPA 1975-6 Guests v Wycombe Wanderers

with thanks to Donald Nannestad

Here are very brief details of the 1975-76 team who are present at tomorrow’s game.

Peter Grotier – goalkeeper who played in all 46 Division Four games  keeping 19 clean sheets

Ian Branfoot – right back who appeared in every one of the 55 League and Cup games scoring four times including the opening goal in the 5-0 win over Doncaster which clinched the title

Dennis Leigh – regular left back who played until mid March before illness kept him out of the final games

Dennis Booth – right half who missed the opening two games but then a near ever present. Scored the winning goal with a diving header in the 2-1 League Cup win over first division Stoke City

Sam Ellis – Centre half, captain of the team and player of the season. Played in 44 of the 46 Division Four games scoring 12 goals plus another three in Cup games

Terry Cooper – Played alongside Sam Ellis at the centre of the defence appearing in 54 of the 55 League and Cup games. His only goal came early in the season in a 4-1 home win over Exeter

Dick Krzywicki – Experienced Welsh international who mainly played on the right wing but also wore the number 9 shirt on occasions when Percy Freeman was unavailable. Featured in 28 of the League games scoring three goals

Phil Neale – Appeared in four different positions during the season finishing the campaign at left back in place of Dennis Leigh. Scored four goals including two in the 6-0 home win over Southport.

Jimmy Gordon – Reserve goalkeeper who made his first team debut in the FA Cup win at Mansfield Town in December making two match-winning saves in injury time to ensure the Imps progressed to the Third Round of the competition

Bert Bowery – Tall centre forward who joined the Imps on loan from Nottingham Forest in February along with Tony Woodcock. Scored on his debut in the 6-0 win over Southport and featured in three more games before returning to Forest. He was Brian Clough’s first signing for Forest and had made his Forest first team debut a few weeks earlier scoring twice in a 4-1 win at Blackburn

Tony Woodcock is sadly unable to attend but here are some details of him:

Tony Woodcock – A young striker who broke into the Nottingham Forest first team in April 1974 but had not appeared for the Forest senior team in 1975-76 when he signed for City on a month’s loan in February. Scored in his first game and made three further appearances before returning to the City Ground. Went on to have a glittering career playing in both the First Division and the Bundesliga and appeared 42 times for England scoring 16 goals

Not forgetting the three players from that season who have passed away – Percy Freeman, Dave Smith and David Wiggett. In addition John Ward, John Fleming (who lives in Australia) and Peter Sellars (who made a single appearance as a substitute) are unable to come to this game while the Former Players Association has been unable to contact Peter Graham or Alan Harding.

FPA Guests v Wycombe

with thanks to Donald Nannestad

Gavin Gordon

Gavin Gordon was a striker who made his senior debut for Hull City just two months after his 16^th birthday and went on to make regular first team appearances for the Tigers before he was sold to the Imps in November 1997 when he was still just 18 years old. In his first season he helped City win promotion and was a first team regular. In 2000-01 he scored 10 goals by early December and was the sold to Cardiff City for a six-figure fee. He later played for Notts County. Gavin is chairman of the Former Players Association and covers Imps games as a match summariser for BBC Radio Lincolnshire.
Debut vs Swansea City, away 8 November 1997
Lincoln City Record
Football League: 87 appearances plus 12 as substitute, 28 goals
FA Cup: 9 appearances, 2 goals
Football League Cup: 2 appearances, 1 goal
Other: 4 appearances plus 1 as substitute

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 goalsOther Games: 6 appearances, 2 goals

Graham Bressington

Graham Bressington was a powerful midfielder who joined City in November 1987 just a couple of weeks after playing against the Imps for today’s visitors Wycombe Wanderers and he was a key figure in City gaining promotion back to the Football League in that season. He established himself as a very effective and popular player going on to make over 100 first team appearances for City and was player of the season in 1990-91. Graham left Sincil Bank in the summer of 1993 and signed for Southend United then managed by Colin Murphy the man who originally signed him for City.

Debut vs Macclesfield Town, home 25 November 1987 (Conference)

Lincoln City Record:

Football League: 136 appearances plus 5 as substitute, 7 goals

Conference: 9 appearances plus 4 as substitute

FA Cup: 6 appearances

Football League Cup: 10 appearances, 2 goals

Other: 13 appearances

Simeon Hodson 

Simeon Hodson was a local lad who played for Lincolnshire Schools before signing for Notts County. He made his senior debut for County in the old First Division just a week after signing professional forms and later played for Charlton. Simeon had a short spell with Lincoln United before joining the Imps in January 1986 and over the next 18 months was a regular at right back. He left Sincil Bank in the summer of 1987 and later played for clubs including Newport County, West Bromwich Albion, Doncaster, Kidderminster and Mansfield. During his time at Kidderminster he played for the England semi-professional representative team.

Debut vs Bury, home 11 January 1986

Lincoln City Record:

Football League: 54 appearances plus 2 as substitute

FA Cup: 1 appearance

Football League Cup: 4 appearances

Football League Trophy: 5 appearances

Richard Cooper

Richard Cooper was a midfield player who began his career with Sheffield United before signing for the Imps in August 1985. He went on to become a regular in his second season with City but left at the end of 1986-87 to join Exeter City. Richard went on to play for clubs including Weymouth and Yeovil Town. He returned to Sincil Bank to run the Imps Grass Roots Football project and then become manager of the Football in the Community scheme. Later he was director of Lincoln’s Girls Centre of Excellence and went on to manage the Lincoln City Ladies team.

Debut vs Walsall, home 26 August 1985

Lincoln City Record:

Football League: 57 appearances plus 4 as substitute, 2 goals

FA Cup: 1 appearance

Football League Cup: 5 appearances

Football League Trophy: 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 past 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

Press Release: A Message from our Chair

When Jack Moylan bore down on the Reading goal the commentator paused until he scored and just said ‘Championship’ as our away fans went wild as did others watching from afar. That moment on April 6^th, 2026, will now forever be part of the club’s history and fans will have their personal memories for years to come, just like those who saw us beat Doncaster to clinch the Division 4 title in record breaking style exactly 50 years ago. 

So, whilst this team are making more memories for fans, it is fitting that today it has been announced that fan groups, former players and the club are joining forces to lead a new strategy to protect, preserve, and promote the heritage of Lincoln City now and into the future. 

As the ‘1884 Collective’, the aim is to create a new and collaborative approach to conserving and curating the history of the club with a focus on the key moments and stories that highlight the club’s identity, and what it means to fans both young and old. The Lincoln City Foundation will also be an integral part through their community engagement work around the city and further afield. Events such as this week’s celebration of the 50^th Anniversary of the promotion winning team of 1975/76 is a great example of bringing the club’s history alive. 

As a Trust, heritage has always been at the core to what we are about with the fans at the centre of it. We run the online museum led by Steve Freestone, which continues to go from strength to strength, have an extensive archive of programmes, plus numerous pieces of memorabilia. 

In addition, we are delighted to have been asked to chair a new Heritage Committee to lead the ‘1884 Collective’ strategy and that aligns perfectly with us holding the Golden Share on behalf of the fans. This new collaboration is welcomed and whilst we have a good foundation, collectively we can achieve so much more, and the fans will be at the centre of it. I am sure Julian Buttery as Heritage Committee Chair, and Phil Scrafton as Fan Elected Director, will work effectively with the other 1884 Collective partners to celebrate our history with fans young and old.

There will be further communication in due course on the initial aims of the ‘1884 Collective’ and how fans can get involved. In the meantime, there is an email address on the club website if you have any burning questions.

Rob

A thank you from the Trust

Thanks to all of you who voted over the last few weeks in the Vic Withers Player of the Season award. The voting period finished last night and the results have been passed to the club, with a record number of fans voting.

We also thank Graham Winter Builders for sponsoring the award again this year.

Find out against Wycombe this coming Saturday who won!

PS Champions!

Support for Care Home residents

Lincoln City Foundation, our Trust’s permanent charity partner, provides support for residents of local Care Homes. That work is assisted by our friends in the Lincoln City Former Players’ Association.

Please click here for more details of this wonderful initiative.

March Trust Board Notes available

Please click here to view notes of the Trust Board Meeting held in March 2026.

Imptoons Yearbook 25/26 is Coming!

And full ordering information for the latest Imptoons from Chris Wray is below:

SILVER

Imptoons Yearbook 25/26 – SILVER PREORDER – Etsy UK

• A copy of the yearbook, signed by CJW
• Your name on the acknowledgements page
• A bonus piece of player-signed Imptoons merch (choose from the dropdown menu)
• Imptoons stickers
• Entry into a draw to win a signed shirt
• Entry into the secret prize draw (if you can find it!)

BRONZE
Imptoons Yearbook 25/26 – BRONZE PREORDER – Etsy UK

• A copy of the yearbook
• Imptoons stickers
• Entry into a draw to win a signed shirt
• Entry into the secret prize draw (if you can find it!)

FPA Guests v Leyton Orient

Thanks to Donald Nannestad

The FPA host for tomorrow’s game against Leyton Orient is Gavin Gordon. The guests are Warren Ward, Mark Hone and Brian Logan.

Gavin Gordon

Gavin Gordon was a striker who made his senior debut for Hull City just two months after his 16^th birthday and went on to make regular first team appearances for the Tigers before he was sold to the Imps in November 1997 when he was still just 18 years old. In his first season he helped City win promotion and was a first team regular. In 2000-01 he scored 10 goals by early December and was the sold to Cardiff City for a six-figure fee. He later played for Notts County. Gavin is chairman of the Former Players Association and covers Imps games as a match summariser for BBC Radio Lincolnshire.
Debut vs Swansea City, away 8 November 1997
Lincoln City Record
Football League: 87 appearances plus 12 as substitute, 28 goals
FA Cup: 9 appearances, 2 goals
Football League Cup: 2 appearances, 1 goal
Other: 4 appearances plus 1 as substitute

Warren Ward 

Warren Ward played for City as a striker during the 1985-86 season finishing as joint leading scorer with Neil Redfearn – despite only scoring eight goals. Warren’s first Football League appearances were for York City before signing for the Imps. He made his Lincoln debut in a League Cup game against his former club and a few days later made his first Football League appearance for City scoring in a 3-3 draw with Doncaster Rovers. He was loaned to Exeter City during the second half of the season scoring three goals in his 14 appearances for the Grecians but returned in April and scored three goals in the final five games of the season but was unable to prevent City being relegated from what was then Division Three. Warren later played locally for several clubs including Boston United. He is a past committee member of our Former Players’ Association.

Debut vs York City away 20 August 1985Lincoln City Record:Football League: 15 appearances + 6 as substitute, 8 goalsFootball League Cup: 1 appearanceOther: 1 appearance

Mark Hone

Mark was a midfield player who signed for the Imps from Southend United in the summer of 1996 making his first team debut when he came on as a substitute at Torquay United on the opening day of the season. Mark made 53 Football League appearances with a further 13 appearances in cup games during his two seasons at Sincil Bank. He scored a total of four league and cup goals. In his first season Mark appeared in both legs of the Football League Cup second round tie against Manchester City when City won 4-1 at Sincil Bank and 1-0 at Maine Road – two games which will long live in the memories of those Imps fans who were there.  Mark was also a regular the following season when City which won promotion to third tier football. He left the club in the summer of 1998 and later played for Kettering Town, Welling United, Lincoln United and Spalding United. His son Danny also played for City making them among the few father and sons to have both appeared for the club in the Football League.

Debut vs Torquay United, away 17 August 1996 as substitute

Lincoln City record:

Football League: 48 appearances + 5 appearances as substitute, 2 goals

FA Cup: 4 appearances, 1 goal

Football League Cup: 7 appearances + 1 appearance as substitute, 1 goal

Football League Trophy: 1 appearance, 0 goals

Brian Logan

Brian Logan is a former youth team player who joined the Imps as a 15 year old in August 1969 when the club’s then manager Ron Gray was looking to sign and develop young players. Brian made an appearance for the first team in a friendly match within a few months of joining the club and also played for the A team in the Lincolnshire League but later left Sincil Bank without appearing in the Football League. He continued playing in local football and was later involved in coaching Lincoln Moorlands. He continues to be active playing in over 70s football. Brian is well-known locally for his involvement with Lincoln Golf Centre which he has owned and run with his family for over 20 years.