Members of the current Lincoln City squad could be accused of not having a lot of Championship experience. Indeed, of the 25 currently contracted players, 68% have not featured in a Championship game.
However, some of our current squad have played in the Championship. In fact, across the Lincoln City squad as it stands, there are 817 appearances in the second tier, and 69 goals. That’s a number likely to almost double next season, given that we’ll play 46 matches and use something like 16 players per game, but for now, the spread is across just eight.
Who in the current squad has played Championship football? Details are right here!
Adam Reach 378 apps, 33 goals
Adam Reach is 33rd in the all-time Championship appearance charts, and hs by far the most experience at the level of any of our players.
Spread across spells with Middlesbrough, Preston North End, West Brom and Sheffield Wednesday, Reach has been a stalwart of the division right up to the 2023/24 season. He last appeared for West Brom as they lost the 2023 play-off semi-final against Southampton.
James Collins 134 apps, 27 goals
James Collins is better known for his prowess in League One, but he has a good stack of Championship appearances behind him. He hasn’t been quite as prolific at the level as he has in League One, but he did bag a fair few for Luton Town during the 2019/20 and 2020/21 season.
His last goal in the Championship came in Cardiff City colours back in 2022, as they lsot 3-2 against Bristol City.
Sonny Bradley 128 apps, 5 goals
Like Collins, Sonny Bradley last turned out in the Championship for Derby County, playing seven times in 2024/25. Like Collins, the bulk of Bradley’s appearances were for Luton Town, for whom he turned out 119 times across a four-season stay.
He debuted in the Championship for Hull City in 2011/12, conceding a Harry Kane goal for Millwall on his first Tigers’ start.
Tendayi Darikwa 116 apps, 1 goal
Tendayi appeared for three clubs in the Championship: Burnley, Nottingham Forest and Wigan. He helped Wigan to the League One title and earned a stab at second-tier football, playing 37 times as they were relegated.
His last game in the second tier came on the final day of the 2022/23 season against Reading.
Adam Jackson 32 apps, 1 goal
Adam Jackson spent four seasons with Middlesbrough as a Championship player, but didn’t get an outing in the league. He signed for Barnsley and got 32 appearances under his belt across two seasons, but they were relegated, and he moved north of the border with Hibs.
His last appearance in the second tier was against Forest, who had a fit Liam Bridcutt in their side and Tendayi Darikwa on the bench.
Ryley Towler 16 apps, 1 goal
Towler made four appearances during his time at Bristol City, but got the bulk of his limited experience in the second tier as a Pompey player. He was part of their title-winning side in 2024 and appeared 12 times the following season, before being released.
His Bristol City debut was a bit of a nightmare: Watford were 4-0 up at half-time, and Towler was taken off.
Tom Bayliss 12 apps, 1 goal
Tom Bayliss made headlines when he left Coventry City for Preston North End in 2019 for £2m. Coventry were pushing at the top of League One, but Bayliss jumped to the Championship with the Lilywhites.
His time there was challenging, and he scored just once in 12 outings across two seasons. His goal came in his final appearance for Preston, a 2-1 win at Forest in 2021.
Conor McGrandles 1 app, 0 goals
McGrandles has a single Championship appearance to his name. He moved from Falkirk to Norwich for £1m in 2014, and made his debut for the Canaries as they thrashed Millwall 6-1 on Boxing Day.
In 2015/16, he broke his leg playing back on loan at Falkirk, and later moved to MK Dons, whom he helped to League Two promotion in 2018/19, before moving to City.
No Championship outings: George Wickens, Jack Moylan, Reeco Hackett, Oscar Thorn, Erik Ring, Dom Jefferies, Rob Street, Ben House, Jamie Pardington, Tom Hamer, Ivan Varfolomeev, Josh Honohan, Deji Elerewe, Oisin Gallagher, Freddie Draper, Zane Okoro and JJ McKiernan
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