There is optimism to be found in almost every corner of the footballing landscape at this time of the year, but you would do well to find anyone without a smile on their face on this sunny Saturday lunchtime in one of Britain’s most picturesque cities. Football may not necessarily be the first thing that springs to mind when you think of Lincoln. After all, Sincil Bank sits in the shadow of the imposing cathedral, high on the hill and a building that symbolically represents the importance of this area stretching back hundreds of years.
But the city’s sporting pride is writing its own slice of history. Yuri Gagarin had only just returned from space when Lincoln last hosted second-tier football, a 2-0 win over Leyton Orient in 1961. But after more than 65 years, the Imps are a Championship side again, having won League One last season with more than 100 points.
Sincil Bank housed the biggest attendance here, 10,545, for more than 40 years for their return to the second tier. While the majority left disappointed as Portsmouth inflicted the hosts’ second consecutive defeat to start the season, the mood did not feel too dampened given the extraordinary journey this club have enjoyed of late. Most of Lincoln’s recent history has been in the footballing wilderness, but there is rapid change, on and off the pitch.
The Imps have spent £10m over the summer modernising the ground with a new fan village, a big screen and upgrades to the stands that were all but sold out. There is change in the dugout, too, with Chris Cohen and Tom Shaw jointly taking over from Michael Skubala, but some things remain the same. The air raid siren – a nod to the city’s military history – still sounds every time a Lincoln corner booms its way into the opposition area and the dedication to a traditional 4-4-2, which has seen them rise through the leagues, endures.
Whether it will need adapting over the course of this season remains to be seen, but for now, Lincoln are backing what has got them this far. The most important constant is the deep-rooted connection between supporters and team, which has helped fuel their progression. Togetherness is at the heart of everything.
Barely a soul left before the final whistle, even when Ebou Adams’s strike secured a first win of the season for Portsmouth in the 69th minute. Many supporters stayed behind in the new fan village to debrief the loss and they remain generally upbeat. Given how far they have come, it will take more than two defeats to steer this club off course.
Extract — continue reading at the source.
