Lincoln City have not been in the second tier of English football since relegation in 1961 ended nine seasons at that level.
Then, except for one season in non-league in 1987-88, they spent the next 50 years in either the third or fourth tier, including then chairman John Reames putting the Imps up for sale in 1999, saying it was a club in decline.
Plagued by financial issues, the side faltered at rock bottom of the League Two table and eventually fell into non-league for six seasons between 2011 and 2017.
Fast forward to 2026 and the Imps are set to ascend to the Championship with a whole new level of confidence.
After spending four months undefeated to go seven points clear of their title rivals Cardiff City, the side will be the first club in the EFL to earn promotion this season If they beat AFC Wimbledon on Friday (15:00 BST) and both Bolton and Stockport drop points.
“I’m really proud of the way we’ve gone about this season; it’s one in the eye for the clubs that try and spend their way out of this division,” Imps fan Chris Wray told BBC Radio Lincolnshire.
“In the past, we’ve never really blown teams out of the budget table; we’ve always built it on hard work, that honesty and that togetherness. This is the most together we’ve ever seen a Lincoln City team, certainly in my lifetime.”
