Back in October, I started looking at the club’s squad numbers from 1993 (the first year we had them) up to the present day.
Squad numbers have always fascinated me. I don’t know why, but the process of awarding a player a number between 1-11 always held significance. A player being named as your number nine, not just wearing nine, but being THE nine for a season, felt big.
I rarely pay attention to numbers after 1-11, but those first shirts are big. They can be a statement of trust in a player, they can signify where a manager’s thoughts are before a season kicks off, or they can be a huge red herring.
I’ve been doing a bit of work on squad numbers, aided by the fine Nannasted bible (still available here if you’re stuck for Christmas gifts for the Imp in your life). I wondered what the best XI of players given 1-11 was: that is to come, but for today, it’s the worst players to wear a prestigious shirt.
The Imps introduced squad numbers in 1993/94, which was the first season we saw it from the FA. That was quickly abandoned by us, and not until 1999/00 did we have squad numbers again. They seem like such a recent thing, so it’s unusual to think GMVC stalwarts Paul Smith and David Clarke had squad numbers (2 and 3) for a season. The only player to span both 1993/94 and 1999/00 was, of course, Grant Brown, who wore 6 in the first season and 4 in his final two.
Over the years, we’ve had a few quirks – this season, we (currently) have no number nine, but in 2019/20, we didn’t have a number 2, with right-back Neal Eardley instead playing 23. Some players have had a 1-11 squad number and barely played, whilst some shirts have almost become synonymous with the player who wore them.
Which XI players make up what I’d perceive to be the worst XI to have a 1-11 shirt in the Imps history?
You’re about to find out.