Gareth McAuley & Jeff Hughes
Why two together? Well, May 21st 2006, shortly after the Imps had lost in the play-off semi-finals to Grimsby, McAuley and Hughes both turned out for Northern Ireland as they lost 1-0 Uruguay. It the first time (and last thus far) that the Imps had a pair of players feature in the same full international squad.
Not only that, but it also saw McAuley overtake Harry Pugh as the Imps’ most capped player.
McAuley joined the Imps on the eve of the 2004/05 season from Coleraine after an Irish scouting mission by Keith Alexander. He was an instant hit, despite making his debut as a makeshift centre forward, and he earned his first full international cap at the end of the campaign, coming on as a second half substitute against Germany. He also started games against Estonia and Romania as well as coming on as a sub against Portugal and the USA.
During the course of his career, he added another 75 caps to that little collection; not bad at all.
Hughes ‘only’ won two caps for Northern Ireland whilst with the Imps, but also picked up seven Under 21 caps during his spell with the club too. He won both of his senior caps on Northern Ireland’s tour of the USA in 2006, against Uruguay as mentioned and Romania, again in 2006.
Hughes signed for the club from Larne in 2005 but impressed in the 2006/07 season under the watchful eye of John Schofield. His flying performances on the wing earned him a move to Crystal Palace and latterly Bristol Rovers.
He never added to his two caps.
Not a full international but certainly worth a mention, Dick Neal won three England under-23s caps during our spell in the old Second Division. Interestingly Alick Jefferies broke his leg in one of those games and was never the same again. He later had a brief spell at Lincoln