100 Jason Barnett
‘He’s a baby’, Jason Barnett sneaks in at 100. He came in at 83 on the 2007 vote too, which means he certainly endeared himself to supporters during his 200-game spell in the Football League for City. Jason arrived from Wolves in 1995 and played right through our troubled rise and fall of the late nineties, making his final outing in the 1-1 draw with Hull City in 2001, the final match of the season and, for a short while, perhaps the last of all.
99 Dean West
Dean West had two spells at City, but in between played regular Championship football for Burnley. He appeared 147 times for the club, emerging from the youth setup in the early nineties. Steve Wicks enraged me, for one, when he swapped West for Kevin Hulme in 1995. You will not find Hulme anywhere on this list, which tells you everything you need to know.
98 Bert Linnecor
Bert Linnecor harks back to another age and his inclusion is a testament to his ability, given that he played much of his football in a different era. Linnecor, who was voted 30th in the all-time legends vote in 2007, is well known for his hat trick at Anfield against Liverpool, but he bagged 52 goals in 264 league appearances for City, during the golden era of the fifties.
97 Mark Wallington
Wallington is the first keeper on the list and another who also appeared in the 2007 vote, coming in 64th then. He kept 22 clean sheets in 67 matches for City at the tail end of a career that saw him play in the top flight with Leicester. He started as a schoolboy with City in 1969, but later moved to Walsall and only appeared as a senior for the Imps at the age of 36.
96 Mark Stallard
The song will tell you that Mark Stallard was big and hard, but he was also a goalscorer and his partnership with Jamie Forrester in 2006/07 was a delight to watch. Stalls came at the tail end of his career too, but did enough to endear himself to Imps fans with robust and committed outings. He’s a hero at most clubs he played for, and his input was clearly appreciated by City fans.
95 Paul Smith
Paul Smith was my favourite player growing up and he sneaks into the top 100, having been at 74 last time out. He cost City £48,000 from Port Vale back in 1987, and became an integral part of the GMVC winning side. Including sub appearances, he made 305 outings for the club, scoring 40 times, before leaving for Halifax Town in 1995.
94 Albert Scanlan
Scanlan was one of the Busby Babes, a survivor of the Munich Air Crash who appeared 115 times for Manchester United. He joined City for the 1962/63 season, scoring 11 times in 47 outings. Again, as a player of a certain vintage, it is testament to his ability that he makes the top 100 on our list.
93 Stuart Naylor
The second keeper on our list was certainly a surprise to me, but he was nonetheless a top stopper for the Imps. He was well-known for his appearance up front for City against Newport, and after 49 outings for us, he went and made a name for himself at West Brom, where he racked up over 350 senior appearances.
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