2nd – MARK BAILEY (9.49% of the vote)
In second place, and the receiver of my vote, is Mark Bailey. Bailey was a stalwart under Keith Alexander, but arrived at City before the legendary boss took charge.
He was a former Stoke City trainee who signed for Lincoln from Northwich Victoria, although he had previous had Football League experience with Rochdale. Things hadn’t worked out and he’d spent time with Lancaster and Winsford before moving to Cheshire and ultimately, to Sincil Bank. He was an integral part of the Imps team that made the 2003 play-off final, a powerhouse up and down the line, relentless in his approach and dogged in a tackle.
He was also instrumental in taking us to the semi-finals the year after and even scored to put us ahead on aggregate in the second leg against Huddersfield. He even scored from inside his own half away at Carlisle. He left after the failure to make the finals and in June 2004 he signed for Macclesfield Town. Injuries hampered his career there and he was unlucky to miss out on a play-off final appearance as Macclesfield lost to the Imps in the semi-final. He joined up with former manager Keith Alexander for a third time in 2006 signing a month to month deal with Peterborough, but only appeared twice before retiring from the game.