Our Imps Draft game on the Stacey West App has already seen 1,569 squads drafted and 314 unbeaten seasons recorded, with supporters testing their knowledge of Lincoln City players from across the generations.
Glenn Cockerill leads the way, Kevin Austin is close behind, and Gareth Ainsworth has managed to get himself into the top ten twice.
The idea is simple: build an eleven from 50 seasons of Imps history, choose your formation and manager, then see how your side performs over a simulated league campaign. Getting the names you want is one thing; putting together a balanced team capable of winning something is another.
It is free to play, and you can sign in for free to join the leaderboard. There is also an Expert mode with hidden ratings, if you fancy finding out how much you really remember about that player you insist was underrated.
Head to Imps Draft through the Stacey West App, and put your Lincoln City knowledge to the test. You can also browse the community statistics to see which players, managers and formations are proving popular. Then share your result and see whether you can add another unbeaten season to the total.
There is now also a daily draft, where you get the same season picks as everyone else: can you pick the best team when everyone has the same choices? Who will top your player list?
The statistics already make interesting reading. These are the ten most-picked individual draft entries, rather than ten different footballers, which explains Ainsworth’s double appearance.
1. Glenn Cockerill
1981/82 | Midfielder | Picked 231 times
Cockerill had two spells with the Imps, returning from Swindon Town in 1981 and contributing 11 league goals in the 1981/82 campaign. He made 186 league appearances across those two Lincoln spells before a career which included Sheffield United and Southampton, and his productive first season back at Sincil Bank tops our draft rankings.
2. Kevin Austin
1997/98 | Defender | Picked 227 times
Austin joined Lincoln from Leyton Orient in 1996 and became a key member of the side which won automatic promotion in 1998. Powerful, quick and capable of a thunderous tackle, he made 128 league appearances for City before moving to Barnsley in 1999. His promotion-season entry sits just four selections behind Cockerill.
3. Gareth Ainsworth
1996/97 | Midfielder | Picked 216 times
Ainsworth scored 22 league goals in 1996/97, won City’s Player of the Year award and earned a place in the PFA Third Division Team of the Year. His performances helped earn a £500,000 move to Port Vale in September 1997, but those who watched him at Sincil Bank needed little convincing of his quality.
4. Conor McGrandles
2025/26 | Midfielder | Picked 205 times
McGrandles first joined Lincoln in 2020 and helped the club reach the League One play-off final in his first season. After leaving for Charlton, he returned initially on loan before making the move permanent in 2024. His 2025/26 entry represents a title-winning campaign in which his teammates voted him Players’ Player of the Season.
5. Gareth Ainsworth
1995/96 | Midfielder | Picked 192 times
The second time Sir Gareth appears, becauseit’s not just the player on ImpsDraft, but the season as well. John Beck brought Ainsworth from Preston North End for £25,000 in October 1995, and he finished his first Lincoln campaign as the club’s Player of the Year. That immediate impact began a brief but memorable Imps career, and his first season remains almost as popular with drafters as the one that followed.
6. Phil Hubbard
1977/78 | Midfielder | Picked 191 times
Lincoln-born Hubbard came through the club’s apprentice system and was both leading scorer and Player of the Season in 1970/71. After spells with Norwich City and Grimsby Town, he returned to Sincil Bank in 1976, with this entry coming from his second spell. His ability to contribute in several positions made him much more than simply a familiar name on the team sheet.
7. Andy Graver
Legends | Forward | Picked 161 times
Graver scored 150 goals in 289 competitive appearances across three spells with Lincoln, establishing himself as the club’s all-time leading scorer. He hit 36 league goals in the 1951/52 Third Division North title-winning campaign, so it is fitting that our most popular forward comes from the Legends selection.
8. Terry Fleming
1999/00 | Midfielder | Picked 156 times
Fleming spent five years at Lincoln between 1995 and 2000, making 183 league appearances and playing an important part in the 1997/98 promotion-winning side. He later played for Plymouth Argyle, Cambridge United and Grimsby Town, before returning to the city with Lincoln United, where he also became manager.
9. Neil Redfearn
1985/86 | Midfielder | Picked 153 times
Redfearn made 100 league appearances and scored 13 goals for Lincoln between 1984 and 1986, establishing himself as a goalscoring midfielder before moving to Doncaster Rovers. His later career took him to the Premier League, but his place here is a reminder that Imps supporters saw his ability long before his best-known years at Barnsley.
10. Graham Bressington
1989/90 | Defender | Picked 151 times
Bressington arrived during the 1987/88 Conference championship season and stayed at Lincoln until 1993, contributing both in midfield and at centre-half. He went on to win the club’s Player of the Season award in 1990/91, and his 1989/90 entry completes a top ten with plenty of familiar faces from Colin Murphy’s years at Sincil Bank.
Can you build a better side?
There is plenty of quality in that list, but picking popular players is only part of the challenge. You still need a goalkeeper, a workable formation and a manager who can get something out of the eleven you have assembled.
Imps Draft is free to play, and signing in is free too if you want to join the leaderboard and see how your selections measure up. For an extra challenge, Expert mode hides the ratings, giving you the chance to prove that the player you always insisted was underrated deserves a place in your side.
Head to Imps Draft through the Stacey West App and put your Lincoln City knowledge to the test. You can also browse the community statistics to see which players, managers and formations are proving popular. Pick your side, share your result and see whether you can add another unbeaten season to the total.
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