The good, the bad and the ugly: a chance to look at three figures (not players this time) who represented both Preston North End and Lincoln City.
Rarely do three players perfectly fit the narrative, but in this case, one is certainly good, and one figure was certainly ugly- not physically, but in terms of the football. Finding a bad player who appeared for Lincoln and Preston, certainly in the last 30 years, isn’t easy.
For the good, we could have had Adam Reach, Tom Bayliss, Steve Holmes, Terry Fleming, Barry Richardson and even Paul Morgan. Josh Ginnelly could have fallen under good, and his agent almost certainly would have done. Even loan players such as Richard Lucas were decent for us. The list goes on.
Bad players? Not so easy. I suppose Jason Harris wasn’t great for us, and David Flitcroft didn’t leave a lasting legacy, but instead I found a decent player who didn’t reach the heights we’d have hoped for the Imps.
However, when it comes to good players to have played for both, there is only one name we could us. You know he must be good if he’s kept Paul Morgan off the article.
The Good: Gareth Ainsworth
Gareth Ainsworth’s impact at Lincoln City went far beyond his outstanding scoring record. His all-action displays, unwavering commitment and infectious personality made him one of the defining Imps players of the 1990s.
John Beck had previously taken Ainsworth from Cambridge United to Preston North End, where he had a decent spell. He scored 14 in 49 in the 1993/94 season, including a brace to sink Scarborough 4-3, and two more as Shrewsbury were hammered 6-1. His appearances slowed after Beck left, and his mentor signed him for a third time when he brought him to Sincil Bank for £25,000 in the autumn of 1995. The winger made his City debut in a 2-1 victory at Mansfield Town, before opening his account with both goals in a 2-0 win at Torquay United a fortnight later.
Ainsworth quickly became a firm favourite. He possessed the quality to trouble opponents, but his relationship with supporters was built just as much on his application and personality. He always made a point of acknowledging the travelling fans, something that was far less commonplace at the time, and his connection with the crowd felt genuine.
He was ever-present during the 1996/97 season, when City narrowly missed out on the play-offs on the final day. Alongside veteran striker Phil Stant and towering Dutchman Gijsbert Bos, Ainsworth formed part of a formidable attacking unit. He scored 22 league goals during that campaign and was named in the PFA Third Division Team of the Year. There was also a memorable Coca-Cola Cup run. Ainsworth scored away to Premier League Southampton in the third round and found the net again in the replay at Sincil Bank, although the Saints eventually progressed with a 3-1 victory.
His performances inevitably attracted attention from elsewhere. A bid from Wigan Athletic before the 1997/98 season suggested his City career was approaching its conclusion, while opponents had begun targeting him with heavy challenges and double marking. With Ainsworth also moving towards the end of his contract, the club risked seeing its most valuable asset injured or eventually leaving for nothing.
He signed off at Sincil Bank in the best possible fashion, scoring a hat-trick against Scarborough before joining Port Vale for £500,000 in September 1997. Just 53 appearances later, Wimbledon paid £2 million to take him into the Premier League.
Ainsworth won City’s Player of the Year award in both of his full seasons at the club. A decade after his departure, supporters voted him fourth in a poll to identify the 100 greatest Imps of all time. His place among the club’s modern greats was never really in doubt.
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