Reeco Hoping to Prove He Can Hackett as Non-League to Championship Journey Nears Completion

February 20, 2026 Gary Lincoln City 0

Credit Graham Burrell

If there’s one thing we know about football, it’s that absolutely nothing can be taken for granted – that’s the true beauty of the beautiful game.

At the time of writing, Lincoln City sit eight points clear of Bolton Wanderers in second place – with a game in hand on the Trotters, no less.

An absence of more than 60 years from the second tier is oh, so close. And for Reeco Hackett, promotion to the Championship would realise the culmination of a remarkable journey from non-league to (nearly) the Premier League.

From Dagenham to Derby?

With promotion in hand, Imps fans have seemingly split into two camps: bullish optimists and nervy pessimists. After all, being on the cusp of getting what you want in life can be a nerve-shredding time.

The sports betting odds paint Lincoln as a 1/12 chance of gaining promotion from League One this term – be it automatically or via the play-offs. That’s an implied probability of 92%.

The sports tips columns haven’t given up on the chances of Lincoln actually winning the title this term, although Cardiff City – 3/10 favourites with the bookmakers – are still very much in pole position in that regard.

Just getting promoted by any means will do; ending that 65-year wait for football in the second tier.

For Hackett, it would be a dream come true. Often, footballers have tales to tell of being released from a Premier League club, before climbing back through the ranks as they mature and develop as a player.

But not the 28-year-old, whose academy football was played in the less-glamorous surroundings of the Dagenham & Redbridge youth team.

Such a tough footballing education can work wonders for a player’s motivation and resolve, mind you, which perhaps explains why Hackett – blessed with plenty of talent too, it should be noted – has progressed up the EFL ladder through stints at Charlton Athletic, Portsmouth and finally Lincoln.

With eight goals this season from an xG of 5.41, Hackett has shown a clinical edge in front of goal and delivered 13 goal involvements in all – he’s a key part of this Imps side, make no mistake.

Between January 4 and February 14, the 28-year-old has served up three goals and five assists in just seven League One games – timing, as they say, is everything.

World Cup Wonder?

Hackett’s form for Lincoln could yet see him earn a recall to the St Lucia national team.

Having made his debut for his country back in 2023, he will have watched on as the St Lucians made a decent fist of their World Cup 2026 qualifying campaign, finishing third in their CONCACAF group behind Curacao and Haiti.

They both qualified for the finals in North America, which suggests that St Lucia aren’t a million miles away from qualification themselves to the expanded tournament – perhaps 2030 will offer a chance to accomplish exactly that.
Alongside EFL stalwarts like Cheye Alexander and Janoi Donacien is an emerging band of new talent, such as Bolton’s Chris Forino-Joseph and Caniggia Elva, who once had trials for the likes of Arsenal and Barcelona.

How Hackett would love a chance to join them… continuing his remarkable journey from the mud-splattered pitches of Dagenham & Redbridge’s youth team!