History Of Lincoln City Football Club

Lindum's plan failed as Lincoln City had greater resources and though both teams attracted higher class opposition it was the signing of Joe Duckworth as Lincoln City's first professional player-coach that established Lincoln City as Lincoln's number one team. Duckworth had been a player with one of the top football sides of the era, Blackburn Olympic and with his contacts he attracted quality players from Lancashire. Their first achievement was an FA Cup place amongst the last sixteen of the 1886/7 competition, they eventually lost to Glasgow Rangers. That season also saw the first ever silverware for Lincoln City as the team defeated Grimsby Town in the Lincolnshire Senior Cup Final though only after the first match had ended a draw.

This persuaded Lindum FC to admit defeat and they quickly gave up competing with Lincoln City. Instead they returned to their original position further north in the City where they continued as an amateur club until folding in 1939. Lindum's move left their pitch near Sincil Drain vacant and in 1894, Lincoln City began building the present day Sincil Bank.

The first season of the professional Football League was in 1888 with the establishment of Division 1 and a "reserve" league known as the Football Combination. Lincoln City were invited to become a founder member of the Football Combination, however the "reserve league" was abandoned after just one season due to a lack of public support. Therefore the following year Lincoln joined the newly formed Midland League, duly becoming the inaugural Champions.

The photograph on the right is one of the earliest known and shows the Lincoln City players of 1889/90, the team which won the Midland League. The line-up is: (Back) Ben Smeaton (trainer), Herbert Simpson, Jack Robinson, James Mullineaux; (Centre) Joe Duckworth, Bob McKay, Hugh McPhee, Quentin Neill, W Graham; (Front) 'Tup' Burton, John Irving, George Shaw.

Four years later the Football League tested their "reserve league" again, this time calling it Division 2. The new division was much more successful as there was an added incentive of promotion to the thriving Division 1. Lincoln adapted reasonably well to their new division and in 1895 decided to form a limited company becoming Lincoln City Football Club Ltd. Despite a new ground and limited company status there was a deterioration on the pitch with a series of managers, or as they were then called secretaries, being appointed. This was a situation very similar to Lincoln City today, with each manager/secretary having his own ideas thus consistency was never achieved.

Lincoln entered a period of stability in 1900/01 with David Calderhead's appointment as secretary, he remained until 1907 when he accepted the position of secretary at Chelsea.

His departure once again led to a general decline in Lincoln City and in 1908 they were demoted from the Football League for the first time, though it was not the last time that relegation from the League would strike. After a season back in the Midland Division Lincoln were re-elected to the Football league Division 2, however this would only be for two seasons as again Lincoln were voted out of the League in 1911. City then joined the new Central League as founder members and became inaugural Central League Champions, that meant a swift return to the Football League.

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