Full name | Lincoln City Football Club | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Nickname(s) | The Imps / The Red Imps | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Founded | 1884 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Ground | Sincil Bank Lincoln (Capacity: 10,127) |
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Chairman | Steff Wright | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Manager | Peter Jackson | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
League | League Two | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
2007–08 | League Two, 15th | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Lincoln City F.C. is an English football team currently playing in Football League Two (the fourth tier of the English football league system).
The team play at the 10,127 capacity Sincil Bank in Lincoln, Lincolnshire, and are nicknamed the Imps after the legend of the Lincoln Imp. More recently, they have also been known as the Red Imps. Traditionally they play in red and white striped shirts with black shorts and red and white socks.
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Formed in 1822 as an amateur association, Lincoln turned professional in the 1891–92 season. Originally they played at the John O'Gaunts ground, however, in 1895 they moved to their current ground, Sincil Bank.
Their championship honours include three Division 3 (North) championships in 1931–32, 1947–48 and 1951–52, a Division 4 (now League Two) championship in 1975–76 (when they were managed by future England manager Graham Taylor).
It was the 1975–76 season where the club broke the record for most points for a whole season when 2 instead of 3 points were awarded for a win with 74 points in total (this was and still is the record amount of points achieved under the 2 point system); the record of winning the most games (32) and losing the fewest (4), was also set.[1][2][3] City also become the first club in nearly a decade to score over 100 league goals (111 in total). They also won 21 out of 23 home league games in this season (the other 2 were drawn) and also won 11 games away from home, another impressive bout from the club. It was the season where, Graham Taylor recalls, "teams were petrified of coming to Sincil Bank".[4]
Their most recent championship was the Conference, in the 1987–88 season. This season saw the club set an all-time record attendance (which has only just been beaten by Oxford United) for a Conference match, attracting 9,432 spectators in a game against Wycombe Wanderers, on 2 May 1988, the last game of the season. The game also decided the championship, as Lincoln had not occupied the top-spot at any point in the season prior to this 2–0 victory.
Their highest ever position achieved came in the 1901–02 season, where they reached 5th position in the English Division 2 (now known as the Championship). The last season that the club spent in this division was in 1960–61, they have never returned since. No team has played as many seasons in the Football League (Lincoln are now in their 102nd League season) without ever reaching the top tier.
Lincoln's record in major cup competitions has left a lot to be desired. Their best feat in the FA Cup has been the Last-16 three times, the last time being over 100 years ago in the 1901–02 season; and their best performance in the League Cup came in 1967–68 when they reached the Fourth Round after losing 0–3 at home to Derby County in a replay. In the Second Round of the 2005–06 League Cup, Lincoln narrowly lost 5–4 (aet) to Premiership outfit Fulham at Craven Cottage, being denied a result in the very last minute of extra time by a Brian McBride goal. This was after an impressive 5–1 home victory against Championship side Crewe Alexandra.
In very recent history, the club have also been in the chase for promotion from the fourth tier via the play-offs five times, twice reaching the finals (2002–03 & 2004–05) and three times getting knocked out in the semi-finals (2003–04, 2005–06 & 2006–07), each time under the guidance of Keith Alexander with the exception of the 2006–07 play-offs. The failure to succeed in five successive play-off competitions is a record.
The last time Lincoln were in a higher league than League Two was in the 1998–99 season where they played in the Division 2 (now League One), after they had gained automatic promotion via third position the previous season.
The world-famous "Dambusters" theme is normally played when Lincoln score at Sincil Bank and supporters of the club can often be heard singing the tune and doing the flying motions when this happens. This is because The Dambusters were based just outside of Lincoln, being formed at the nearby RAF Scampton during World War II, and are therefore at the heart of the city's history.
Even though the Dambusters tune does feature heavily with Lincoln they do not have a song or chant for them alone. Except for the few lines " take my hand, take my whole life too, I cant help falling in love with you" from the Elvis Presley song "Cant help falling in love with you", But this song is used slightly by other teams around the country as well.
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.[5] 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.
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.
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 has 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 has made a permanent move to the club, whilst Robert Olejnik has been loaned out. Deehan also brought in Ryan Amoo, a youth player who he worked with at Villa.
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 European giants Liverpool, and Scott Loach, who now plays for Championship side Watford, are evidence of this. Players such as Lee Frecklington and Owain Warlow who are still playing for the club, have also been cited as hot-prospects for the future, the former receiving interest from a number of Premiership clubs and a call-up for the Ireland B international squad, and the latter receiving a call-up for the Wales U-21 international squad. Other young talent who were not products of the clubs youth academy, yet were snapped up at a young age, have been seen in the likes of Jeff Hughes, Lee Beevers, Ryan Amoo and Paul Green, emphasising the clubs desire to bring future success through new talent and hot prospects and not just proven players.
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. However, the average attendance for the 2006–07 campaign was the largest following for thirty years, as the club hardcore is increasing with the ever increasing population of the local catchment area.
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. Under Jackson and Onuora, the team has experienced a series of better results, sending the team to mid table finish.
Burch
Beevers
Kovacs
Sinclair
Green
N'Guessan
Kerr
Frecklington
Pătulea
John-Lewis
Oakes
Common Lincoln City line-up during the 2008–09 campaign. |
Name | Nat | From | To | Record | ||||||
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P | W | D | L | F | A | Win % | ||||
Alf Martin | --/--/1896 | --/--/1897 | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | |
James West | --/--/1897 | --/--/1900 | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | |
David Calderhead | 01/08/1900 | 01/08/1907 | 256 | 89 | 53 | 114 | - | - | 34.77% | |
John Henry Strawson | 01/08/1907 | 31/05/1914 | 195 | 52 | 40 | 103 | - | - | 26.67% | |
George Fraser | 01/08/1919 | 31/03/1921 | 46 | 10 | 10 | 26 | - | - | 21.74% | |
David Calderhead, Jnr. | 01/04/1921 | 31/05/1924 | 118 | 37 | 28 | 53 | - | - | 31.36% | |
Horace Henshall | 01/08/1924 | 01/05/1927 | 132 | 51 | 28 | 53 | - | - | 38.64% | |
Harry Parkes | 01/05/1927 | 01/05/1936 | 395 | 187 | 78 | 130 | - | - | 47.34% | |
Joe McClelland | 01/05/1936 | 01/01/1946 | 140 | 61 | 27 | 52 | - | - | 43.57% | |
Bill Anderson | 01/01/1946 | 01/01/1965 | 855 | 307 | 189 | 359 | - | - | 35.91% | |
Con Moulson | 01/01/1965 | 01/03/1965 | 8 | 0 | 0 | 8 | - | - | 00.00% | |
Roy Chapman | 01/03/1965 | 31/05/1966 | 65 | 15 | 13 | 37 | - | - | 23.08% | |
Ron Gray | 01/08/1966 | 01/07/1970 | 184 | 60 | 55 | 69 | - | - | 32.61% | |
Bert Loxley | 01/07/1970 | 01/03/1971 | 32 | 12 | 4 | 16 | - | - | 37.50% | |
David Herd | 01/03/1971 | 06/12/1972 | 82 | 30 | 30 | 22 | - | - | 36.59% | |
Graham Taylor | 06/12/1972 | 20/06/1977 | 211 | 97 | 61 | 53 | - | - | 45.97% | |
George Kerr | 01/06/1977 | 01/12/1977 | 18 | 5 | 4 | 9 | - | - | 27.78% | |
Willie Bell | 21/12/1977 | 23/10/1978 | 40 | 11 | 13 | 16 | - | - | 27.50% | |
Colin Murphy | 06/11/1978 | 01/05/1985 | 309 | 121 | 88 | 100 | - | - | 39.16% | |
John Pickering | 01/07/1985 | 20/12/1985 | 24 | 4 | 6 | 14 | - | - | 16.67% | |
George Kerr | 20/12/1985 | 07/03/1987 | 61 | 17 | 17 | 27 | - | - | 27.87% | |
Peter Daniel | 07/03/1987 | 01/05/1987 | 12 | 2 | 5 | 5 | - | - | 16.67% | |
Colin Murphy | 26/05/1987 | 20/05/1990 | 103 | 39 | 26 | 38 | - | - | 37.86% | |
Allan Clarke | 03/06/1990 | 30/11/1990 | 18 | 3 | 6 | 9 | - | - | 16.67% | |
Steve Thompson | 01/11/1990 | 31/05/1993 | 128 | 48 | 36 | 44 | - | - | 37.50% | |
Keith Alexander | 01/08/1993 | 16/05/1994 | 48 | 13 | 13 | 22 | - | - | 27.08% | |
Sam Ellis | 01/08/1994 | 04/09/1995 | 56 | 21 | 12 | 23 | - | - | 37.50% | |
Steve Wicks | 04/09/1995 | 16/10/1995 | 7 | 0 | 2 | 5 | - | - | 00.00% | |
John Beck | 16/10/1995 | 06/03/1997 | 78 | 27 | 23 | 28 | - | - | 34.62% | |
Shane Westley | 07/03/1997 | 11/11/1998 | 82 | 30 | 24 | 28 | - | - | 36.59% | |
John Reames | 11/11/1998 | 01/06/2000 | 87 | 30 | 21 | 36 | - | - | 34.48% | |
Phil Stant | 01/06/2000 | 27/02/2001 | 38 | 12 | 10 | 16 | - | - | 31.58% | |
Alan Buckley | 28/02/2001 | 25/04/2002 | 69 | 16 | 24 | 29 | - | - | 23.19% | |
Keith Alexander | 05/05/2002 | 24/05/2006 | 213 | 81 | 69 | 63 | - | - | 38.03% | |
John Schofield John Deehan |
15/06/2006 | 15/10/2007 | 51 | 21 | 12 | 18 | - | - | 41.18% | |
Grant Brown | 15/10/2007 | 30/10/2007 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 1 | - | - | 00.00% | |
Peter Jackson | 30/10/2007 | Present | 22 | 11 | 1 | 10 | 36 | 32 | 50.00% | |
Iffy Onuora Grant Brown (In Jackson's absence) |
01/03/2008 | till jackson's return | 11 | 5 | 0 | 6 | 16 | 24 | 45.45% |
Up until recently the club's logo was very simple in design, with the historic City's heraldic shield having "L C F C" inside it and a marquee displaying the club's name below it. Since, however, Lincoln have opted to go with a more modern and stylish design, with the club's mascot and nickname replacing what was originally there.
Traditionally the colours and design of the Lincoln City strip have been a red and white striped shirt along with black shorts and red socks. This has varied, however, as in the late 1960s and early 70s, the club opted to field a predominantly red strip with white shorts, and also in the 2000–01 season where the shirt was quartered red and white with white shorts. Their away kit has never retained any single pattern or design, and has varied vastly throughout the seasons.
In the 2006–07 season, Lincoln have retained their traditional home kit colours and style, and have a predominantly black away strip with red side stripes, also with red shorts and black socks. This has been the away strip of choice for two seasons now. Their current sponsors are Starglaze (home) and Haart (away), with their kit manufacturer being Uhlsport. Dennis Horton & Son, also sponsor Lincoln, with their logo appearing at the top centre on the reverse of their home kit.
A brand new set of kits was introduced for the 2007–08 season due to the club changing kit supplier from Uhlsport to Umbro. The home shirt retains the traditional red and white stripes.
Notes:
Notes:
Name | Representing country | Caps | Versus |
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Gareth McAuley | Northern Ireland | 5 | Germany (June 2005) Portugal (November 2005) Estonia (March 2006) Uruguay (May 2006) Romania (May 2006) |
George Moulson | Republic of Ireland | 3 | Portugal (May 1948) Spain (May 1948) Switzerland (December 1948) |
David Pugh | Wales | 3 | Scotland (February 1900) Scotland (March 1901) England (March 1901) |
Con Moulson | Republic of Ireland | 2 | Hungary (May 1936) Luxembourg (May 1936) |
Dean Walling | St. Kitts and Nevis | 2 | British Virgin Islands (April 1998) Guadeloupe (April 1998) |
Jeff Hughes | Northern Ireland | 2 | Uruguay (May 2006) Romania (May 2006) |
Arthur Fitzsimons | Republic of Ireland | 1 | Czechoslovakia (May 1959) |
David Felgate | Wales | 1 | Romania (October 1983) |
Note: Italics denote that the player came on as a substitute.
In the PFA Fans' Favourites survey published by the Professional Footballers' Association in December 2007, Andy Graver was listed as the all-time favourite player amongst Lincoln City fans.
Name | Nat | Description |
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Ainsworth, Gareth | Now playing for Queens Park Rangers Was sold to Port Vale for a then club record (and still official) fee of £500,000 and was voted 4th in Lincoln City's 100 League Legends |
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Bannister, Gary | Also played for West Bromwich Albion, Queens Park Rangers,Nottingham Forest and Coventry City | |
Black, Kingsley | Also played for Nottingham Forest,Sheffield United and Grimsby Town | |
Branfoot, Ian | Later Fulham, Southampton and Reading manager | |
Carbon, Matt | Also played for Derby County and West Bromwich Albion | |
Cort, Carl | Currently at Leicester City with past spells at Wolverhampton Wanderers, Wimbledon and Newcastle United | |
Croft, Gary | Also played for Ipswich and Blackburn as well as Grimsby Town Played a minor role in the 2007/8 season for the Imps after a season of injury |
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Eaden, Nicky | Also played for Barnsley, Birmingham City and Wigan Athletic Helped the club reach their fifth successive League Two play-off campaign in the 2006/07 season |
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Fashanu, John | Television presenter and ex-Millwall, Wimbledon, Norwich City and Aston Villa thug Played at Lincoln as a trainee |
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Forrester, Jamie | Also played for Leeds United, AJ Auxerre and FC Utrecht Helped City reach the 2005/06 League Two play-off semi-finals with a bagful of appearances and goals as a loanee, and finished as top-scorer for Lincoln as a permanent signing in the 2006/07 campaign which also lead to a play-off semi-final defeat |
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Greaves, Ian | Also played for Manchester United | |
Grobbelaar, Bruce | Also played for Liverpool Saw out his latter days at Lincoln |
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Harford, Mick | Also played for Newcastle United, Birmingham City and Chelsea | |
Harford, Ray | Later Blackburn Rovers, Queens Park Rangers and West Bromwich Albion manager | |
Hobbs, Jack | Signed for Liverpool at the end of the 2004/05 season and is tipped as a future England international Youngest ever player to play for Lincoln first team |
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Huckerby, Darren | Currently at San Jose Earthquakes of Major League Soccer with past spells at Manchester City and Newcastle United amongst others Was an early product of City's youth set-up and was sold to Newcastle United |
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Hughes, Jeff | Northern Ireland international, now playing for Bristol Rovers Helped to guide the club to two unsuccessful League Two play-off campaigns and was then sold to Crystal Palace |
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McClaren, Steve | Later England and Middlesbrough manager | |
McGlen, Billy | Also played for Manchester United | |
Megson, Gary | Also played for Everton, Newcastle United and Manchester City | |
Moses, Adie | Also played for Barnsley | |
Neale, Phil, OBE | Also played for England cricket | |
Nicholson, Shane | Yongest ever League player and a former Derby County, West Bromwich Albion and Sheffield United player | |
Redfearn, Neil | Also played for Bolton Wanderers, Barnsley, Wigan Athletic and Charlton Athletic | |
Savage, Robert | Also played for Liverpool and Manchester United | |
Sinclair, Frank | Also played for Chelsea and Leicester City Won the FA Cup and League cup with Chelsea and Leicester respectively. |
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Taylor, Graham | Later England, Watford, Aston Villa and Wolverhampton Wanderers manager Guided Lincoln to their most successful ever league campaign by winning Division Four (now League Two) in 1975/76 |
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Trueman, Fred | Also played cricket for England | |
Williams, Paul | Also played for Derby County, Coventry City and Southampton | |
Woodcock, Tony | Also played for England, 1. FC Köln, Nottingham Forest and Arsenal |
Note: Names in bold are still at the club.
The Lincoln City mascot is called Poacher The Imp, after the old song 'The Lincolnshire Poacher'. He is currently in his 10th year, and has been portrayed by Gary Hutchinson for the entire ten years.
In 2003 Poacher finished 12th in the Mascot Grand National, representing his best finish.
Despite sharing the city with Lincoln United, the two are not usually considered rivals, as United are much lower in the League system than City and the clubs never play each other except for friendlies, which usually take place in every pre-season. This is the same situation regarding Lincoln Moorlands. Other county rivals in the past have been Gainsborough Trinity and Grantham Town, but in recent times Lincoln have been in a higher league than these clubs.
Role | Nationality | Name |
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Manager | Peter Jackson | |
Assistant Manager | Iffy Onuora | |
First-Team Coach/Youth Team Manager | Grant Brown | |
Player/Coach | Frank Sinclair | |
Fitness Coach/First Team Physio | Michael Wait | |
Head of Youth | Tom Spall | |
Youth Team Physio | Kevin Oxby | |
Chief Scout | Kieran Scarff |
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Lincoln City F.C.
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Football League Two 2008–09
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