Lincoln City has one of the most amazing histories of any club in Britain. The Imps, named after a famous Lincoln Imp carved in stone at Lincoln Cathedral, have seen some massive highs and lows over their 140+ years.
If you’re a seasoned supporter placing a bet on their League One fixtures through platforms like BoyleSports Football or a casual fan discovering them for the first time, there’s plenty to like about Lincoln City. It’s a club that’s seen it all.
The club’s background
Lincoln City Football Club currently compete in League One. The club has been around since 1884, and its history is an up-and-down, showcasing the unpredictability of football.
Since making it into the Football League in 1892, Lincoln have spent 36 seasons in the second tier, 35 in the third, 40 in the fourth and 10 seasons in non-league football. It has never managed to get to the very top table since it first started.
Perhaps the most successful days were the early ones. In the 1901-02 season, Lincoln City achieved the best-ever league position of fifth in the Second Division. They also reached the FA Cup’s last 16 that season, which wasn’t reached again for more than a century.
Over the intervening years, Lincoln came in and out of the Football League over different decades, winning divisional titles and then losing their League status again. So it was always a club that couldn’t quite be counted on.
The Graham Taylor years
One of the standout chapters of Lincoln City’s history is the Graham Taylor era. He was still a recently retired former player when he became manager in 1971 and started to try and turn the club’s fortunes around.
The 1975-76 season was the most successful in the club’s Football League history. They became champions of the fourth division with the highest number of league points ever scored back when it was two points awarded for a win.
They also equalled the record for home wins in one season, coming out on top in 32 of the games at their home venue. They also had the fewest defeats by a team in Division 4.
Taylor would go on to manage clubs like Watford and Aston Villa as well as the English national team. However, his Lincoln chapter shows the kind of excellence that developed him as a manager and defined the club at its best.
Unfortunately, that excellence never really sustained for long periods of time, which makes Lincoln so relatable to smaller clubs across the country. They gradually fell back down divisions, even spent time in the Conference before bouncing back up the system again. By 2011, they had been relegated from the Football League entirely.
For six seasons, they spent time in non-league football. However, they didn’t let this be a fatal turn of events as it produced a stunning comeback.
Cowley brothers and the FA Cup run that changed everything
When Nicky and Danny Cowley took over at Sincil Bank, nobody would have predicted what was to come.
In the 2016-17 season, Lincoln City were promoted as champions back to the Football League. While on its own it was quite an achievement, its performance in the FA Cup that season made it one of the most historic campaigns in the club’s history.
Lincoln’s route to the quarter finals saw them beat Championship sides like Ipswich Town and Brighton and Hove Albion. Then there was a historic victory at Burnley after a late Sean Raggett header.
After beating the top-flight club, Lincoln became the first non league club to reach the FA Cup quarter finals since 1913-14. The reward was a game at Arsenal’s Emirates Stadium and national recognition. They lost 5-0, but the outcome was much more than the result.
They used the money they made from their FA Cup run to lay the foundations for the future. In 2018, they opened a £1.3 million elite performance centre that was largely funded by the cup run. They no longer had to use school pitches and army barracks as training facilities; they now had a modern setup that could support future ambitions.
Building on the momentum
The momentum didn’t stop there as in the 2017-18 season, Lincoln won the EFL Trophy final at Wembley after beating Shrewsbury Town. Then the following season, they won League 2 and got promotion to the third tier.
For the first time in 20 years, within the space of three years, they went from non-league to League One.
The Cowley brothers eventually moved on, but the foundations remain in place, and Lincoln have now been in League One for seven consecutive seasons, which is good stability when playing in the context of the club.
It’s the 2025-26 season, the 142nd in the club’s history, and the club is competing in League One, the FA Cup, EFL Cup and the FA Trophy. Recent form has been encouraging as results so far this season have shown a team capable of putting together strong runs, including away wins at Cardiff City and Exeter City, and a convincing home victory over Stockport County.
The LNER Stadium, formerly known as Sincil Bank, has continued to sell out for high-profile fixtures.
A new chapter in club ownership
Off the pitch, Lincoln City has also been going through some significant changes. In January 2026, Lincoln City confirmed that Liquid Investments Inc wanted to become the controlling shareholder of the club, with Ron Fowler taking over as chairman.
Fans were sceptical, as sometimes in the lower leagues, a new owner can either accelerate the progress of a club or create instability. At Lincoln, the early signs have been good. The club continues to operate in a way that shows a sense of pragmatism.
The club is also producing good young players. They recently sold Jovon Makama to Norwich City for about £1.2 million, which shows that its players are attracting serious interest from clubs in the Championship. This reflects the investment made in its training facility and academy structures after the 2017 cup run.
The road ahead
Lincoln City won’t be playing in the Champions League any time soon. But the real point is that they represent something valuable in football. It is a club with history, identity and strong connections to the city it represents.
No matter if it’s pushing for promotion this season or finishing mid-table, they will continue to be one of the most watchable clubs outside the top two divisions.
If the last decade is anything to go by, then it’s clear that Lincoln City has a habit of doing things nobody expects, which makes them worth following for that alone.