Nobby Lawton
Nobby Lawton came through Manchester United’s youth system in the 1950s and signed professional forms in April 1958. His progress was interrupted by a serious bout of double pneumonia, but he recovered to make the first team and develop a partnership with Bobby Charlton on the left of United’s attack. He even scored a hat-trick against Nottingham Forest on Boxing Day 1961, before increasingly being used as a wing-half.
He moved to Preston North End in 1963 and captained them in the following year’s FA Cup final, when they lost to West Ham United. Brighton & Hove Albion came next, followed by Lincoln in February 1971, arriving on a free transfer alongside Alan Gilliver. By then, knee injuries were taking their toll, and his final first-team appearance came in a defeat at Stockport County early in the following season.
Lawton was forced to retire on medical advice, but his connections helped produce a remarkable testimonial at Sincil Bank in March 1972. More than 10,000 watched an All-Star XI featuring the likes of Nobby Stiles, Johnny Giles and Derek Dougan beat a City XI 9-7. Bobby Charlton was there as well, although he did not play. It was quite a farewell for a player whose time in a Lincoln shirt had been frustratingly short.
Ethan Hamilton
Ethan Hamilton followed the route from Edinburgh’s Hutchison Vale to Manchester United, joining their academy as a teenager. He progressed through the youth and reserve sides and was named on the first-team bench for an FA Cup tie at Huddersfield Town in February 2018, but never made a senior appearance. Loans with Rochdale, Southend United and Bolton Wanderers provided his introduction to league football before permanent moves to Peterborough United and Accrington Stanley.
His arrival at Lincoln in August 2023 was viewed as a significant coup, with the Imps investing in an established League One midfielder. He made his debut at Bolton on the opening day and scored the winner at Shrewsbury Town within a fortnight. Before injury, he offered energy, physicality and a useful goal threat, but a knee problem ended his first season in February 2024 and kept him out until October.
He returned to warm applause as a substitute against Leyton Orient, but never quite settled back into the role he had occupied before the injury. There were flashes of the combative midfielder we had signed, without the same sustained influence. He eventually left for Dundee in August 2025, signing a three-year deal after 82 appearances and three goals for City, with 67 of those outings coming in the league. His best Lincoln spell offered plenty, but the injury prevented us from seeing enough of it.
Jim McCalliog
Jim McCalliog’s CV gives this midfield a fair amount of glamour. He scored for Sheffield Wednesday in the 1966 FA Cup final, captained Wolverhampton Wanderers in the 1972 UEFA Cup final, and scored for Scotland in their famous victory over England at Wembley in 1967. He is now credited with ten Scotland caps, following the retrospective recognition of five appearances on their 1967 overseas tour.
Manchester United signed him from Wolves in March 1974, but he could not prevent their relegation. He played enough of the following campaign to earn a Second Division championship medal, although he had moved to Southampton before United secured the title. A year later, he provided the pass for Bobby Stokes to score the winner against his former club in the 1976 FA Cup final, finally collecting a winners’ medal after his earlier disappointments.
McCalliog arrived at Lincoln in September 1978, towards the end of that distinguished career, following spells in the United States and Norway. He briefly took caretaker charge after Willie Bell’s departure the following month, but did not appear in City’s first team after Colin Murphy was appointed. Released the following spring after nine league appearances, he later played for Runcorn, managed Halifax Town and became a licensee.
Aidan Murphy
Aidan Murphy was another midfielder whose Manchester United connection was forged in the youth and reserve sides rather than the first team. An England schoolboy and youth international, he was part of the United side that reached the 1986 FA Youth Cup final against Manchester City. Later that year, he came to Lincoln on loan for his introduction to league football.
That debut was hardly a gentle welcome, coming in a 4-1 home defeat to Hartlepool United in October 1986. Skilful but lightweight, he made only two league appearances for City, and a subsequent loan at Oldham Athletic also failed to produce a sustained first-team opportunity. He left Manchester United in 1987 without making a senior appearance.
Crewe Alexandra offered him a much longer spell of regular football, and he spent five seasons there before a short stay at Scarborough and moves into non-league football. His career then took a less familiar turn, with a move to the United States in 1993 and several seasons playing for Carolina Dynamo and other American clubs. There was considerably more football ahead of him than those two Lincoln outings suggested.
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