Lincoln City captain Tendayi Darikwa couldn’t hold his emotions as the Imps celebrated promotion in Reading yesterday.
Talking to BBC Radio Lincolnshire’s Rob Makepeace, a clearly emotional Tendayi expressed his pride and delight at being the first Lincoln City captain in more than 70 years to lead a side out of the third division.
“I wear the badge with pride,” said Tendayi immediately after promotion was secured. “I wear the armband with pride. It’s hard to put into words, but I’m just so happy.”
Few gave the Imps hope of promotion at the beginning of the season, including us! What’s transpired has been outrageous, record-breaking and completely unexpected, but that lack of expectation has helped drive the captain and his team.
“Nobody probably gave us a chance at the start of the season, and I think the longer the season has gone on, the more that has driven us as a group.
“We’ve probably felt a little bit disrespected at times. Obviously, we see everything that’s said on social media about certain clubs and budgets, and it’s nonsense. To get Lincoln City into the Championship after, what, 60 years, it’s a special day.”
For many, getting into the Championship is job done, but as Michael Skubala also made clear post-match, the team now have a secondary assignment – silverware. With 12 points the cushion between Cardiff and us, and them having just 18 to play for, two wins will secure us a third title in nine seasons, and that’s something our captain is now focused on.
“We want to go up as champions, that’s the next target, now we move on to that.
“I’m just so happy, man. I’m so proud. I’m 34 now, and I don’t know how many more I’ve got left in me, so the older I get, the more special these moments are. To do it for the supporters and the whole football club, it’s special.”
There were tears in the stands, a few on the pitch (guilty) and there have been plenty today. Even as he spoke to Rob Makepeace on the pitch, Tendayi could feel the same emotion.
“I’m welling up myself as well, but when you do it in front of supporters like that, who’ve been waiting so long, seeing the club in the National League, it means everything.
“They obviously had the FA Cup run, that special FA Cup run, and I was part of that on the other end. So to see how far the club has come and just to play a small part in its history, I’m delighted.”
Focus today will have been on relaxing and taking stock of what has happened, while tomorrow, the hard work will begin once again with our penultimate home game of the season scheduled against Leyton Orient. A win there would see the Imps move closer to becoming the first team to achieve promotion from the fifth tier to the second, all by winning titles.
You must be logged in to post a comment.