Number 18 on our list takes us back to the early 1970s and to a player who, while only briefly at Sincil Bank, remains one of the most naturally gifted forwards ever to pull on a Lincoln City shirt.
This series continues to chart the most prolific Imps strikers from 1945 onwards, ranked by goals per game in EFL competition, with only players who made at least 25 appearances included. Each name represents a snapshot of the club’s attacking history, from record-breakers to cult heroes.
#18 – Brendan Bradley (0.39)
When David Herd brought Brendan Bradley to Lincoln City in the summer of 1972, few supporters realised they were signing a forward who would later go on to become a record-breaker in Ireland. Recommended by midfielder Jimmy McGeough, Bradley had been prolific for Finn Harps and arrived in England full of confidence and pedigree. He made his debut in the second league game of the season, a 1-1 draw away at Darlington, and just two matches later scored twice in a 3-0 win at Workington — a match that saw the team and supporters fly north together on a chartered plane.
That brace sparked a run of form that briefly made Bradley the most dangerous forward in Division Four. He scored in five successive games, taking his tally to seven goals by early autumn, and at one stage was responsible for almost half of Lincoln’s total strikes. His left foot was cultured, his touch sharp, and he played with the calm precision of a man entirely at ease in front of goal.
Yet, as the year went on, the picture changed. Herd’s side began to falter, and when Graham Taylor took over as manager in December 1972, Bradley’s scoring touch suddenly deserted him. Despite continuing to feature regularly, he went 12 games without a goal, the longest drought of his career.
In March 1973, homesickness took hold and he returned to Finn Harps for £4,000. Even so, 12 goals in 31 league appearances, plus one in the FA Cup, was a fine return for a debut season in English football.
Bradley’s achievements after leaving Lincoln were remarkable. Back at Finn Harps, he won the FAI Cup in 1974 and went on to finish as the League of Ireland’s top scorer four times, famously netting all six goals in a 6-1 win over Sligo Rovers in 1976. By the time he retired in 1986, he had scored 309 career goals, including 235 in Irish league football — a record that still stands.
Though his time at Sincil Bank lasted less than a full season, Brendan Bradley’s ratio of 0.39 goals per game places him comfortably among Lincoln City’s most prolific post-war forwards.
One of my Imp heroes. I wrote an article about him for Deranged Ferret in the 90s called “Truly Madly Sadly Bradley”.