Lincoln City are currently certain to be playing 14 teams next season, as two more joined the ranks of the Championship for 2026/27.
We covered nine earlier in the week, with Tuesday’s game ensuring three more sides were confirmed as rivals of the Imps for our first year in the Championship under its current branding.
Last night’s results ensured more teams will be joining us. For the record, the midweek results ensured Huddersfield and Leicester will not be playing us next season: the former can now not make the play-offs, while the latter will be a division below the Imps for the first time in their modern history.
Two more teams will grace Sincil Bank next season, and play host to the Imps faithful as a result of their endeavours in midweek (or lack of them).
Blackburn Rovers
Our league matches against Blackburn ended in 1958, as they got out of the Second Division, so all we have to show in terms of recent history is cup clashes. In 2018, we lost there in the League Cup, a game best remembered for Joan Luque scoring for the Imps. Before that, League Cup clashes in 1972 and 1973 saw us win 4-1 on aggregate, and lose 6-3 a season later. That’s the extent of our competitive fixtures, although we did play in a friendly under Mark Kennedy, with Bradley Dack scoring in a 1-0 defeat.
Blackburn confirmed their safety last night with a 3-1 win against Sheffield United, but it was tinged with sadness, as Mr Blackburn Rovers, Tony Parkes, passed away yesterday.
They play at Ewood Park, a ground where they haven’t secured a league win against us since 1955. Their current squad includes former City loanee Scott Wharton and Dapo Afolayan, who worked under Michael Skubala at Loughborough, and once earned my ire for a sneaky elbow while playing for Bolton Wanderers, prior to a St Pauli move.
Burnley
Not ten years ago, we were a non-league side, going to Burnley for a big day out. Of course, we’d been there before in the eighties, like Wolves, they were a big side down on their luck during my first seasons as a City fan, and we faced them a few times during the eighties and nineties. They got good, we didn’t, and our FA Cup win was the first victory we registered over them since January 1991.
Next year, we’ll have two stabs at them as they drop into the Championship. Their 1-0 defeat against Man City confirmed relegation from the Premier League, their fourth since 2010. In the last five seasons, they have been promoted twice and relegated thrice, turning into the Rotherham of the Championship. With just 20 points, they’re 13 adrift of West Ham with 12 to play for, setting up the Imps’ matches.
We know Turf Moor well, having been there in 2016/17, but their squad does not have a lot of familiar faces, as you’d expect. Scott Parker is in charge there, but it remains to be seen if that is the case when we visit next season.
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