67 Gijsbert Bos
We have our own Flying Dutchman now, but Gijs Bos was the original and someone who endures even today. The giant striker joined from IJsselmeervogels and appeared 40 times for the Imps, bagging ten goals. He is perhaps best remembered for getting the winner against Manchester City in the Coca Cola Cup at Maine Road, delivering us a famous 5-1 aggregate victory over the then-Championship level side.
66 Ian Baraclough
Ian Baraclough has gone on to much bigger things in his football career and is currently the manager of Northern Ireland, but the left-back had an impressive spell at Sincil Bank in the mid-nineties. He scored 11 goals in 91 appearances, many of them penalties, before surprisingly moving to Mansfield Town. He impressed there, and at Notts County, eventually bagging a move to QPR.
65 Dixie McNeil
McNeil was a prolific scorer of the highest order, hitting 53 goals for City in 97 appearances between 1972 and 1974. That’s the sort of record that saw him voted 20th in the all-time legends vote and sees him retain his place for our, rather less scientific one. Also enjoyed prolific spells with Wrexham and Northampton, amongst others.
64 Tony Cunningham
Tony Cunningham joined the Imps from Stourbridge and was a tough and fearless striker who hit 32 goals in 123 appearances. He was part of Colin Murphy’s side that won promotion from Division Four in 1981 and almost repeated the feat in Division 3 the following year. Tony went on to play for Manchester City and Newcastle, amongst others, in an illustrious career.
63 Tony Emery
In a vote on the all-time legends of the club, Tony Emery would be right up there with the very, very best of them. A fine servant to the Imps, he made 402 league appearances for the club, a record only beaten by Grant Brown after the turn of the century. Emery was a regular in the Imps line up during the consistent years of third-tier football and was voted 7th in the all-time legends list.
62 John Akinde
I can see it now: “I stopped reading when I saw Akinde above Emery”. Maybe, just maybe, if I was a neutral reader, I might be thinking the same thing. Dare I say had we not had John Akinde up front, we may not have won the League Two title and we may not be where we are now. When he turned it on, he had the ability to be a devastating striker at this level, proven in displays away at Exeter, and at home to Forest Green. If this vote takes place in three years time, my guess is John will suffer the same fate as Mr Alcide did in the 2007 vote, and not feature.
61 Terry Cooper
Another member of the 1976 title-winning side, his appearance on our list does prove that certain teams and players can stand the test of time. Cooper has risen two places form the 2007 vote too, impressive given the passing of time. Cooper was a stalwart, the sort of player your Dad would admire for his commitment and dedication to the cause.
60 Dennis Booth
Booth is another who finished in the middle of the pack in 2007 and holds his place for this vote. Booth joined the Imps on loan, scoring a hattrick against Bury before making his switch permanent. He went on to become a much-loved character on and off the field, helping the club to the 1976 title, before joining Graham Taylor at Watford.
59 Mark Bailey
Another Keith-era player, bailey joined prior to Keith’s appointment but made his name as part of the 2002/03 side that marched to the play-offs. He remained for another year, helping us to the semi-final at Huddersfield, but left for Macclesfield the following season. In total, the rampaging right-back appeared 111 times for the Imps, scoring four goals. Voted in at 75 on the 2007 list, marking a trend of more recent players climbing.
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