Which Lincoln City side is the best of all time? Here is a nuanced argument, one that will cause debate, split opinion and generally leave everyone debating long after my finger has pressed ‘publish’.
What even constitutes a ‘side’, you might ask? Is it defined season by season, or is it about longevity? For instance, would Bill Anderson’s team that stayed in the Second Division for ten seasons be one side, or ten? Would the team that finished eighth be better than the one that pulled off the Great Escape of ’58?
How can you even balance a team that won the Third Division (North) in 1932 with no subs against a side that does it in 2026 with up to 16 players taking part on a matchday? You can’t, can you?
Also, would you separate Keith Alexander’s side from 2002/03 from the one that went to Wembley in 2005? Or was one simply the early manifestation of the other? You’ll notice I am three paragraphs in and all I have done is ask questions, which is fine, because trying to answer them is going to cause division and debate.
It is hard for anyone who hasn’t seen every side to comment, and nobody will remember Harry Parkes’ side of the late twenties and early thirties. Anyone who joined the journey after 2017 will find it hard for us to argue that a side that didn’t get promoted, like Keith Alexander’s side, deserves a place at the table, just like me, coming in 1987, might find it more difficult to argue for Murphy’s earliy eighties side.
But, you’re here for the debate, aren’t you? You’re here to get angry at the order I put these great Lincoln City sides in. Good. Let’s crack on.
Comments Welcome!