Conor McGrandles was visibly delighted after he joined his teammates on the stage in the centre circle to hoist the Sky Bet League One trophy high above their heads in front of a packed LNER Stadium.
The Scotsman said: “It’s pretty hard (to sum it up), it just kind of seemed like it was meant to be us winning today, the sun was out, the fans were all here, it was perfect.”
Conor was presented with the award of Players’ Player of the Season just moments before the trophy lift, being deemed by his teammates and manager to have been arguably the best player in the league all season.
McGrandles added: “The fans have been waiting a long time for a moment like this to get to the second tier and they deserve it just as much as us because they’ve travelled home and away every week to support us.”
That support was clearly shown as fans flooded onto the pitch at the sound of the full-time whistle with flares and inflatable trophies, hoisting the players onto their shoulders as they celebrated alongside their heroes.
The 30-year-old spoke on the love the players receive from the fans, saying: “Honestly we appreciate it so much and it doesn’t go unnoticed.”
After a long season of battling for the league title, it’s become clear that the Imps are ready for their rest after Port Vale on the final day of the season.
However, the celebrations weren’t going to be cut short on Saturday, with many of the squad seen enjoying themselves with some karaoke in Lincoln with the fans in the evening.
McGrandles said: “One hundred percent you’ve got to celebrate moments like these or else what are you doing it for? Same with the fans of course, they’ve got to enjoy it and I hope we all have a class night.”
The Imps midfielder was called the Scottish Kaka by many after the game, as he has proved invaluable for the champions all season long.
Lincoln City will face Port Vale away from home to round off what has been a sensational season. Avoiding defeat would present the Imps with the record for the longest unbeaten streak (29 games) in League One history.