Last time Lincoln City were in England’s second division Yuri Gagarin became the first man to enter space and Tottenham Hotspur finished top of England’s top flight.
That was 1961, over 60 years ago, but it looks like the Imps may return to that level once again as they currently look nailed on to secure automatic promotion to the EFL Championship, sitting ten points clear of third place Bolton Wanderers.
Next up for Michael Skubala’s men is a clash against Cardiff City this weekend, a game that if won could place them top of SkyBet League One.
But what would promotion mean for the club?
Financial benefits
Securing promotion from League One to the Championship would be massive for Lincoln financially, with the achievement providing a significant boost of anywhere from £7 million up to £10 million to their estimated revenue.
This increase would be due to multiple different factors, as going up a division would mean higher central EFL distributions, increased sponsorship, and improved matchday revenue.
Arguably the main difference financially is the influx of TV money with Championship clubs receiving a much larger share of TV rights and EFL income compared to League One.
If we take a look at the 2024/25 season for example, clubs in the second tier of English football received around £11 million from these sources whilst League One teams earned just £2-2.4 million.
Transfers
With the promise of a substantial financial boost, there would be no excuse for City not to go big in the summer transfer window to help prepare them for a season competing in a division they haven’t reached since 1961.
Director of Football Jez George helped the Imps enjoy a successful transfer market seven months ago as the club signed Adam Reach, Sonny Bradley and Ivan Varfolomeev amongst others – all of whom proving to be valuable additions to the side, helping City have a memorable season.
But if promotion is secured, this summers window would surely be even better with the increase in available funds and of course the ability to attract better players.
This term, City loaned in a handful of players labelled as surplus to requirements by Championship clubs, for example Ryan Oné, Alfie Lloyd and Justin Obikwu.
But with promotion to the Championship, the level of loan stars could rise to taking players from Premier League clubs as we see sides like Manchester United, Chelsea and Spurs often loan out their young players to sides in England’s second tier.
Quality of opposition
Going up would obviously improve the quality of teams Lincoln City face week in week out.
As it stands, the likes of recent Premier League sides Southampton, Watford and Sheffield United all reside in the Championship, with teams like former top flight champions Leicester City’s future in the division yet to be determined.
Three teams will be relegated from the Prem, with Wolverhampton Wanderers, Burnley and once Conference League champions West Ham United set to go down as it stands.
All-in-all, those games would prove massive to Lincoln City who don’t tend to play clubs with such high reputations, barring this seasons Carabao Cup draw that saw them face up against world champions Chelsea.
The prospect of facing such sides certainly must excite City fans who follow the team up and down the country on away days.