Right Midfield
When I consider a 4-4-2, I think of the outside midfield players as wingers, therefore including anyone that might have played on the outside of a 4-3-3 for instance. That means there’s only ever going to be one incumbent of the role in my Imps’ team: Gareth Ainsworth.
Seriously, if you didn’t live through the John Beck years, it is hard to properly put them into words. The football was awful at times, the reputation we had was negative and when it went wrong (7-1 Bury, 7-1 Colchester), it went horribly wrong. Beck was as belligerent and outspoken as they came and yet that team….. wow. Seriously, to see that 1995-1998 Lincoln City in action was something else. Fans will still argue now, hating on the Beck years despite the promotion, or waxing lyrical about them even though Emley knocked us out of the FA Cup.
Nobody can talk down Sir Gareth’s role in that team though. Cutting in from the right, he scored tap ins through taking risks, he created goals through flair and ability and we bloody loved him. He’s the first player I remember applauding the fans after every game and with his rock and roll persona, he fitted perfectly into the Britpop era. For me, as a17-19-year-old, he was everything I wanted from a footballer. If you lived through these years, I guarantee you have him in your side too.
Left Midfield
I suppose this is another area that needs little explanation, although oddly I suspect a small percentage of Peter Gain‘s outings actually came in what I think would have been his best position. Since I picked my first side little has changed, I might have gone for Nathan here, maybe Bruno could have got the nod, but few will ever be better than Peter Gain in my opinion.
I’ve gone on about him far too much on here in the past, so perhaps I ought to just move on. If you didn’t see him play, it is hard to imagine the majesty with which he glided around the pitch, difficult to understand the wizardry he possessed in his left foot. He didn’t reach the heights he might have done more down to the style we operated, rather than any fault of his own.
Midfield (6)
I’m going to pick a ‘six’ and an ‘eight’ in my Imps team I think. In doing so, both of my previous picks now seem to miss out. Picking a six is a very, very tough call. Joe Morrell has been excellent this season and Alex Woodyard was sensational in the 2016/17 season, both would push hard for a role here. I originally picked Graham Bressington, a huge favourite of mine from the early nineties. To say Bressington was hard would be an understatement, and although he was perhaps a bit part player in the GMVC title win he went on to epitomise everything a fan wants in someone who pulls on the red and white. Once remarked to me at a sportsman dinner that he would ‘sell his gran for a win on the pitch’. I might have plumped for John Finnigan too, he was maybe more of an eight, but he’s a player time might not remember as fondly as it should. Finns was top-notch, appearing during really tough times for us.
However, how could I pick anyone other than Michael Bostwick? He might be a centre back now, but to squeeze him into the side I have to pick him in midfield. That’s what I’m going to do as well.
Midfield (8)
Dare I say that of all the areas of the field choices have been tough, picking an advanced midfielder who sits shy of a ten but further forward than a six hasn’t been all that tough. Lee Frecklington would certainly be one to consider, he was a big played for us in 2006/07 and went on to have a superb career, but truly stylish players who create assists have been in short supply. Maybe our tactics haven’t always highlighted those sorts of players, but in Richard Butcher, we had a really good eight with an eye for goal.
He had three spells with the club, his first and most memorable in which we went to two play-off finals, a short loan spell and a return under Peter Jackson which could have brought more, had Sutton not got rid when he came in. Butcher’s goals for Notts County prove what he could have done in a proper 4-4-2 with a license to get forward and anyone who saw him in big matches for us, not least away at Huddersfield in the play-off second leg, would find it hard not to drop him into their side.
great team choice, i’d have stuck huckerby in as a 10th sub given that he spent so long in top two divisions during his career
Most of the players in my own Best Xl would date from before the late 1980s but I wouldn’t argue against Eardley or Ainsworth, and I think if Harry Toffolo had played for a bit longer at our present level he might have been challenging Phil Neale for the left back slot. Of your Xl I’d have put Bostwick at centre half, but I saw very little of Paul Morgan so can’t really judge.
Lincoln playing at their highest level for years. Toffolo being the stand out player this season… if you are genuinely picking a best side rather than a sentimental or favorite side id argue he should have been a shoe-in. Regardless an interesting read.. cheers.
Unfortunately I haven’t seen most of those great players myself so I can’t really include them in my team. From players I had the pleasure to see I would choose:
Allsop – Eardley – Raggett Bostwick – Toffolo – Rowe – Morrell Bridcutt – Bruno – Walker Tomlinson.
Bench: Vickers, Habergham, Shackell, Woodyard, Grant, Arnold, Rhead.
Agree with most. But Frecks was a class above for me and has to take Butchers place, who was a good League 2 player for us.
Morgan was superb as was Austin. But McAuley and Toff prob squeeze in too. Morgan suited tbe back 5
You’ve got the numbers wrong. Four should be your holding midfielder & five & six are your centre halves.
In my day the number four was the right half back and six was the left half back. The centre half, or number five, was also known as the pivot.
The setup which includes two holding midfielders is widely known as the double six, which is where I took my numbers. I guess with squad numbers it means little