3rd – IAN BRANFOOT (9.49% of the vote)
Had the voters been predominately 60 and over, or been properly educated by their fathers on Imps history, Branfoot might have placed higher. The fact it is 42 years after Lincoln won the Fourth division with him at full back, yet he still ranks in a vote taken by a broad cross-section of the fans, is a testament to how good he really was. I didn’t see him play, I can’t comment, but you find anyone with grey in their hair this Saturday and ask them yourself, they’ll tell you.
Ian Branfoot started out at Gateshead in the early 1960’s before he joined Sheffield Wednesday in 1965. He then move to Doncaster Rovers when he made over 150 appearances, before joining the Graham Taylor revolution in 1973–74, he went on to make over 150 league appearances for the Imps as well, always cultured and strong at right back, part of the record-breaking 1976 Fourth division title-winning side. He scored our 100th goal of the 1976 season as we hammered Watford 5-1, as the clipping below shows.
Branfoot learned from future England manager Graham Taylor at Sincil Bank and harboured coaching ambitions from a very young age. He was fully qualified by the age of 21 and became player-coach at Lincoln by the time he was 30. His tenure with City came to a close in September 1978, becoming Youth coach at Southampton under his former manager at Doncaster, Lawrie McMenemy. He later managed Reading, leading them to promotion in 1984 and again a year later, as well as winning the Simod Cup in 1988. Later spells at Southampton and Fulham didn’t prove to be as fruitful.
