Number 15 on our list goes back to the eighties, the heyday of Colin Murphy’s swashbuckling side.
This countdown continues to highlight the most prolific Imps strikers from 1945 onwards, measured by goals per game in EFL competition, with each player having made at least 25 appearances.
It’s a celebration of those who not only scored freely but also shaped the club’s story across generations.
#15 Derek Bell (0.40)
Number 15 on the list highlights a forward whose early scoring record stood out long before he reached professional football. During the 1971 to 1972 season, when he was still only 15, Derek Bell scored more than 200 goals across schools football, Saturday matches in the Boston League, and Sunday fixtures in the Lindsey and Kesteven Youth League.
That sequence led to an apprenticeship at Derby County and later senior football with Halifax Town and Barnsley.
Bell arrived at Sincil Bank in November 1979. His first appearance came in a 3-3 draw against Hartlepool United, a match in which he scored. A fortnight later, he was on target again as we drew with York City, and from there, he never looked back.
Over the four years that followed, he continued to contribute regularly whenever available, although injuries restricted the total number of games he was able to play. His most productive spell came in the 1982 to 1983 season, when he finished as our leading scorer with 29 goals in league and cup competitions, including two league hat-tricks as we beat Bournemouth 9-0 and York City 4-1. He also bagged a cup hat trick against then-First Division side Norwich City.
In total, Bell made 69 Football League appearances for Lincoln, along with 14 more from the bench, scoring 33 goals. His final season at Sincil Bank came in 1982 to 1983, and he left the following summer, later playing for Chesterfield and Scunthorpe United.