Defence

Nicky Eaden

Eaden wasn’t a bad player for us, not by a long shot, but he had been better before he arrived at the Bank. His signing was something of a coup at the time, as he had been promoted with three of the four clubs he played for. He helped Barnsley into the Premier League in 1997, got Birmingham there in 2002 as well as appearing in the League Cup Final, before helping Wigan there in 2005. He was a quality right-back, probably not quite Premier League standard but with all the qualities needed to help get a team there. He moved to Forest and saw his career begin to ebb away, which led him to our door, at first on loan and later permanently. He was a member of the 2006/07 side which reached the play-offs but failed to get the promotion.

Jamie Clapham

You could describe Lincoln-born Clapham as the one that got away. He came through the ranks with Spurs, appearing once for them in the Premier League, before making a £300,000 move to Ipswich Town. It was at Portman Road he made a name for himself, winning Player of the Year in 1999 and helping them to promotion via the play-offs in 2000. He then appeared for two years in the top flight before they were relegated, which prompted Birmingham City to come in with a £1.3m bid. After four more years in the top flight, he left St Andrew’s and appeared for Wolves, Leeds and Notts County amongst others. He won League Two with the Magpies in 2009/10, then came to Sincil Bank for the 2010/11 season. Sadly, it was his last season in the professional game and he was a shadow of the player who had been so successful over a decade and a half.

Frank Sinclair

When I hear Frank’s name, I can’t help but think of his disastrous 23 game spell with us in 2008/09, He had been poor in the Imps’ defence, but was loaned to Wycombe in the same division, who were then promoted. It wasn’t quite ‘Kyle Perry’ bad, but it did baffle me at the time. I remember writing an article for Sky Sports where I praised Sinclair as he looked to be settling and growing as a player, only to receive a message from a friend laughing at me. ‘I’m sure World Cup star and former UEFA Cup Winner Frank Sinclair will be delighted to know you think he’s growing as a player’ was the cutting comment. My friend was right, Sinclair had a stellar career and his Lincoln stint was nothing short of disappointing.

Sinclair played 169 times in the top flight for Chelsea, both in the old First Division and the Premier League. He won the FA Cup, League Cup and UEFA Cup as a blue, then moved to Leicester City for £2m, a big fee in 1998. He spent five years in the top flight with the Foxes, winning another League Cup and helping them to promotion after they dropped out of the Premier League in 2002.

In 1998, he appeared in the World Cup in France, starting all three of Jamaica’s group games against Croatia, Japan and Argentina. They won their game against Japan, but were eliminated from the competition. In fairness to Frank, he had a great career, but came to us far too late to be effective.

Ian Pearce

You probably remember Ian Pearce as the quieter sidekick of Chris Sutton, a man synonymous with failure at the club. Pearce did appear for us a couple of times, 11 in League and Cup, but they were his final game as a professional. To dismiss him as a rubbish player wouldn’t just be wrong, it would be ignoring the cold, hard facts. Throughout his career, Ian Pearce was quality.

He started out at Chelsea and likely played alongside Sinclair in the reserves, but he didn’t breakthrough at Stamford Bridge. He cost Blackburn a fee of £300,000 in 1993, a decent sum back then, and became a Premier League winner in 1995, lifting his reputation alongside Colin Hendry in a formidable defence. That form earned him three England Under 21 caps and he looked destined for promotion to the senior side. West Ham then splashed out £2.3m on him, but a serious injury stunted his progression. In total, he appeared 188 times in the top flight for West Ham before a move to Fulham, but a back injury had severely affected him. he made 57 appearances in five years before dropping down to play for Southampton, and later us.