'Quiet and steady' - how Lincoln's promotion was 20 years in the making

'Quiet, steady, thoughtful' - promotion the Lincoln City wayImage source, Getty ImagesImage caption, Lincoln City secured promotion to the Championship with five League One matches still remainingByJohn PakeyBBC East MidlandsPublished48 minutes ago2 CommentsHow has a club with one of the smallest budgets in League One won promotion to the Championship? When just a solitary point was needed, Jack Moylan scored a 96th-minute winner to secure a 2-1 victory at Reading and seal promotion in style, clinching a place in the second tier for the first time in 65 years.With five matches remaining, Lincoln's next job will be to win the League One title and complete a historic campaign at Sincil Bank.It has been a journey about more than just recent seasons. To explain it fully, John Pakey - a former sports editor of the Lincolnshire Echo - caught up with his former colleagues to reflect on a success story that has been 20 years in the making."We look at Lincoln City as a sleeping giant, is that fair?" This question was being put to me by Danny Cowley, it was just after 17:00 on Wednesday, 11 May, 2016. I remember the time and date very clearly as I had just pressed send on the back page of the Lincolnshire Echo. The headline declaring - "It's a Dan deal: Cowley to be new Imps boss".It was my first conversation with the man who, alongside his brother Nicky, would go on to dramatically change the fortunes of the club. I had secured my story through sources, not from him direct, so to hear him on the phone was a relief as that back page was now whirling around a press."Nicky and I really think that if we can get the city behind us, if we can connect, then it has real potential," said Danny. I agreed, but we had to go back another 10 years to really see when it had last felt like that.'Keith had an eye for a player like no other'Image source, Getty ImagesImage caption, Keith Alexander was in charge at Sincil Bank for 213...