45 George Hannah

George Hannah’s inclusion this high up in the list is incredible when you consider he only played 38 times for City. He was a big player for us in the 1957/58 season, helping us to a miracle escape from relegation, but his quality was always such that he was destined to leave. He eventually moved back into the First Division to play for Manchester City, but his brief spell in an Imps’ shirt certainly impressed many supporters. Given the demographic of voters and the passing of time, I think any player pre-1960 to make the Top 100 must have been stand-out, which doubtless those who saw Hannah play will agree he was. He also made the 2007 list, reaching 35 on that occasion.

44 Davide Somma

I shall resist the obvious pun, but the 2009/10 season certainly got brighter when Leeds United loaned us this man. You can say what you want about Chris Sutton (I do), but he played a blinder when he brought the South African to Sincil Bank. Somma bagged on his debut and went on to net 9 goals in 14 matches, helping us to safety. Here it is in context for you: when Somma came in we had won one game in eight and were three wins off the relegation places in the division. With him in the side, we went on a six-game unbeaten run and earned vital wins against Bury and Bournemouth as a direct result of his goals. In the end, a woeful Imps team finished six points off the bottom two, with Somma’s goals responsible for eleven points. Without him, we would have been enjoying trips to Dover a year early. Justified inclusion.

43 Bob Cumming

Another player who has a legacy that endures over time. Ask any fan who watched us in the GMVC and beyond and they’ll tell you the same thing; Bob Cumming was a cut above the rest. He was a veteran by the time he turned up at City, having spent 13 years at Grimsby Town, but he played an important role in our revival, as did former Mariners’ teammate Nigel Batch. He appeared 40 times in the Football league for City, but also turned out 33 times in the GMVC winning season, bagging seven goals. His class and quality helped drive the battling side back to the Football League at the first attempt, and he remained a key part of the Imps’ squad after that. Sadly, he was injured in an FA Cup tie against Billingham Synthonia and later moved to the US, where he had previously appeared with Albany Capitals.

42 Peter Grotier

Nobody would begrudge Peter Grotier a place in the top 50, a keeper who helped push us to the title in 1976. Famously, the fans helped buy him from West Ham in 1974, and he remained with the club until 1980. He is perhaps best remembered for being our keeper in that famous title-winning side, accumulating a record points haul, but he made 233 league appearances for City, keeping 67 clean sheets across Division Three and Four. He was player of the year in 1977/78 and scored three times for the Imps, all spot-kicks in the Lincolnshire Senior Cup (against Grimsby and Scunthorpe in 1976, and Scunthorpe again in 1977).

41 Roger Holmes

Here is a player I wish I’d seen play for City, and a name that would have been much, much higher had we managed to secure votes from a whole generation of Lincoln fans who perhaps do not use the internet. Holmes came 36th in the 2007 vote, which proves his legacy is still strong today. He appeared 307 times across all competitions for City, scoring 40 goals, in a side that tumbled from the second tier to the bottom of the Fourth Division. His slick skills were always appreciated by supporters though and he remains a popular character from the club’s history.

40 Barry Richardson

Curiously, Barry Richardson came 49th in the 2007 vote and it seems the passing of time has only enhanced the stopper’s legacy. He was a key component of John beck’s battling side from the mid-nineties, a long-haired maverick who was just as happy going toe to toe with a player as he was stopping penalties. He played 131 league games, keeping 32 clean sheets, and helping us to promotion in 1998.

39 John Finnigan

I could write all day about Finns, a cultured player who sadly left the club as financial troubles loomed. He suffered a little from being a top player in a decidedly average side, but that didn’t diminish from his lasting impact on voters. 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 a certain 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. He went on to become something of a Cheltenham legend but left an impression on Imps fans which has seen him climb from 96th in the 2007 votes.

38 George Shipley

George is undoubtedly a player who would be much higher in a proper legends vote, a skilful attacking player who went on to appear in the top flight for Charlton Athletic. He was our record signing when he joined from Southampton in 1980, with Murph paying £45,000 for his services. it proved to be money well spent as City were promoted into the third tier, and almost made it back-to-back promotions. Shipley made 274 outings for the club across all competitions, netting more than 50 goals. He missed just eight league matches in his first five seasons at the club and became the leading scorer in 1981/82 with 11 goals, level with Tony Cunningham and Glenn Cockerill.

37 Tony Lormor

Now we’re talking about a legend from my childhood, a player who I wanted to be as a young teenager. One of the stars we speak to on tomorrow’s pod tells of how Tony could have been a top player, had he not picked up an injury which ruled him out of the entire 1992/93 season. He arrived in 1990, scoring on his debut against Wrexham, and went on to appear 111 times, bagging 34 goals. He is maybe best remembered for hitting four in a sensational 6-2 win on the final day of his first full season against Carlisle United. I recall him coming to present trophies at Wragby Boys Under 13s presentation night in 1992, a proper gent throughout. He later made headlines as part of the Chesterfield side that reached the FA Cup semi-finals, appearing in earlier rounds against Bristol City and Scarborough, bagging against the latter.

36 Peter Graham

Finally for today, we are back in the 1975/76 season with Peter Graham, a forward who scored 47 times in 142 league appearances. He bagged 11 goals in 13 starts in the title-winning side of 1976, but a serious knee injury ruled him out of the latter stages of the season. However, having joined in 1973/74, he was a key part of Graham Taylor’s squad from its early stages right through to the end of the following season. He remained at the club until the 1977/78 season, leaving for Cambridge United, whom he actually scored his final Imps goals against. In that 4-1 win, a young Gordon Hobson bagged a brace, as did Mick Harford, signalling a passing of the baton of sorts.

Tomorrow we’ll run down the ten players who just missed out on the top 25, before dropping into the live podcast at 7pm.

You can discuss the Top 100 here, and help earn the Imps a few quid in the process

100 Jason Barnett

99 Dean West

98 Bert Linnecor

97 Mark Wallington

96 Mark Stallard

95 Paul Smith

94 Albert Scanlan

93 Stuart Naylor

92 Paul Mayo

91 Gary Lund

90 Sam Habergham

89 Andrew Boyce

88 John Whitney

87 Jeff Smith

86 John McGinley

85 David Johnson

84 Liam Bridcutt

83 Lee Beevers

82 Keith Alexander

81 Tyler Walker

80 Phil Turner

79 Phil Brown

78 Bruno Andrade

77 Steve Thompson

76 Scott Kerr

75 Jamie Taylor

74 Phil Stant

73 Tony James

72 Jeff Hughes

71 Alan Harding

70 Dean Walling

69 Jason Shackell

68 John Kennedy

67 Gijsbert Bos

66 Ian Baraclough

65 Dixie McNeil

64 Tony Cunningham

63 Tony Emery

62 John Akinde

61 Terry Cooper

60 Dennis Booth

59 Mark Bailey

58 Lee Thorpe

57 Phil Hubbard

56 Nathan Arnold

55 Adrian Patulea

54 Terry Fleming

53 Stuart Bimson

52 Dick Neal

51 Joe Morrell

50 Jorge Grant

49 Gavin Gordon

48 Dany N’Guessan

47 Justin Walker

46 Bradley Wood