Lincoln City – A Club With A Lot Of Promise
Introduction to Lincoln City’s Journey
The Imps are currently one of the EFL division’s most stable and well-run clubs. They have flirted with promotion from League One for the last few years. Additionally, they have been super competitive ever since getting promoted to League One. The Imps fans are waiting for the club to take that final leap and finally get promoted.
So, how good has Lincoln been in the past few years? Â
Danny Cowley’s Transformative Influence
Danny Cowley’s influence on Lincoln City cannot be understated. Cowley was appointed the manager of Lincoln City when they were in the National League. From a beleaguered position, Cowley took Lincoln to the promised land as he managed to win the National League title with Lincoln City and gained promotion to League Two.
In the same season, he got Lincoln City promoted, Cowley also oversaw an incredible FA Cup run by Lincoln City. Beating teams like Brighton and Ipswich, the Imps made it all the way to the Quarterfinals.
Under Cowley, Lincoln was at full tilt. They won the EFL Trophy in 2018 and also made the play-offs for promotion places by finishing 7th but were soundly beaten by Exeter. In 2019, Lincoln City won the League Two title under Dan Cowley and got promoted to League One.
Cup Glories and Near Misses
Lincoln City has been a consistently decent team in league football. But, they have been stupendous in cup competitions. They always find a level higher than they actually play in cup competitions. You don’t have to believe us, the stats speak for themselves. Lincoln are a proper cup team with a very good track record.
Just look at their 2018 EFL Trophy win. The Imps cantered through their group stage with 3 wins and then swept aside teams in the knock-out rounds, even knocking out Chelsea U21s in the semi-finals. Chelsea has one of the best reserve sides in England so to knock them out was some achievement in itself.
In the final, Lincoln City defeated Shrewsbury to lift the EFL Trophy.
In 2018-19, Lincoln City made it through to the 3rd round proper of the FA Cup before getting eliminated by Everton. They gave Everton a mighty scare despite their exit in a 2-1 loss.
In the 2020-21 season, the Imps had another memorable run in the EFL Trophy. They made it all the way to the semi-finals of the EFL Trophy where they were beaten by eventual winners Sunderland.
The 2022-23 domestic cup run had its own story to tell. Lincoln reached the fourth round of the League Cup before getting eliminated by Southampton. They also made it to the quarterfinals of the EFL Trophy where they were beaten by Accrington Stanley.
Current Campaign
Lincoln City also made a good meal out of their current season’s cup run. While the FA Cup campaign is yet to kick off, the Imps had an impressive League Cup run. Lincoln soundly defeated two much-fancied sides in Notts County and Premier League’s Sheffield United in back-to-back rounds before going down narrowly to a lucky West Ham side.
Lincoln City have been a really good cup side for the last 5-6 years and they have been consistent in them. It looks like only a matter of time before the Imps make it through to the deep end of one of the two oldest domestic cup competitions in English Football history.
Consistency and Development in League One
Ever since gaining promotion, Lincoln City has been a consistent side in League One. In their first season back into the EFL Division, Lincoln finished 16th, a season curtailed due to the coronavirus. Their best season in League One came in the 2020-21 season as they managed to finish 5th in the league and thus qualified for the play-off position.
Lincoln made it all the way to the final of the playoffs where they were beaten by Blackpool to end an incredible run for the Imps. They also made it to the semi-finals of the EFL Trophy that season.
In 2021-22, Lincoln finished 17th in League One, this was their worst finish in a league season since they finished 17th in the Conference in 2011-12. They were eliminated early in the cup competitions as well.
In 2022-23, Lincoln finished in 11th position and consolidated themselves as a solid League One team. Their cup runs improved as well as they managed to reach round 4 of the League Cup.
In the current 2023-24 season, Lincoln is sat in 13th position with 8 games played. They have been inconsistent this season but there is still a lot of time to put things right. Mark Kennedy is doing a decent job currently at Lincoln and fans will be expecting an upturn in form quickly.
