John Finnigan

Wakefield-born Finnigan bucked the trend in terms of Imps’ signings. He was young and exciting, made a big impression in six loan matches and later went on to be a club legend, voted our 96th best ever player in 2007.

He made his debut in the tempestuous Battle of Moss Rose, making five further appearances including the 2-1 victory at home to Brighton that sent us up into the old Division Two. Despite having a year left on his contract at Forest, he impressed enough to warrant the Imps paying an undisclosed fee for his services, later revealed to be £50k. He might have been seen as an odd acquisition for a team like Lincoln at the time. We played a really basic route one game at the time, no messing just get the ball forward as quickly as possible. There wasn’t always time or opportunity for midfield players to flourish, especially not a talented youngster like Finns, yet somehow he thrived, starting out every week.

Finns quickly became a firm fan favourite. He was a tireless worker in the middle of the park, always scrapping for the cause. He was never one to be amongst the goals regularly, although he did score twice in Division Two, once against Stevenage in the FA Cup and the only Imps goal of a 1-1 draw against Burnley at Turf Moor in the league. He had confidence on the ball that turn of the century Lincoln did not often display. We had fighters, battlers and players that were effective at what they did, but rarely had we seen a cultured midfielder, tenacious and hard-working but also with strong leadership qualities. Despite being part of a robust side, Finns was never sent off for Lincoln. I imagine John Beck would have hated that, but it is a testament to his approach to the game; firm but fair.

After we dropped back into the basement division his class and work ethic stood out even more.  He was partnered by the likes of Ian Hamilton, David Phillips and other ‘seasoned’ professionals who failed to deliver and he always made the journeymen look average. He was composed, and yet also always disciplined. As we knocked through managers and careered towards administration he was the rock in the middle of the park, still fighting the cause as the ship appeared to be sinking around him. Sadly, it was evident to anyone who cared to watch that if the finances got too tight, Finns was a saleable asset whom we’d have to cash in.

He missed a chunk of his final season with a neck injury as we struggled against the drop and unsurprisingly we eventually forced to cash in on our prized asset. Just two months before the end of the 2002 season he joined Cheltenham.

It was purely a budgeting measure, nothing else. There is no doubt we would have retained his services if we’d been financially viable, seeing him leave the club was gutting for a fan such as myself as he was one player we knew we could depend on. He’s gone on to become part of the Cheltenham setup and I can’t help but think had he stayed here, had we been able to afford to keep him, he’d be working behind the scenes at Sincil Bank right now.

His final game at Sincil Bank was a 4-1 thrashing at the hands of Mansfield Town, his final performance for the club a brief cameo from the bench as we drew 1-1 with Hartlepool, criminally Ian Hamilton started ahead of him. Having not scored for two seasons he started his first game for Cheltenham by scoring in a 4-0 win against York. His second game for the Robins saw him return to Sincil Bank to be given the ovation he deserved after his solid service to the club.

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