Welcome to Lincoln, the underdogs who could soon be welcoming some big Premier League names

HomeTeamsScores & ScheduleStandingsFantasyThe Athletic FC NewsletterPodcastsAFC BournemouthArsenalAston VillaBrentfordBrighton & Hove AlbionBurnleyChelseaCrystal PalaceEvertonFulhamLeeds UnitedLiverpoolManchester CityManchester UnitedNewcastle UnitedNottingham ForestSunderlandTottenham HotspurWest Ham UnitedWolverhampton WanderersChampions LeagueHomeScores & ScheduleStandingsPodcastsArsenalAtalantaAthletic ClubAtlético de MadridBarcelonaBayer LeverkusenBayern MunichBorussia DortmundCelticChelseaEintracht FrankfurtInter MilanJuventusLiverpoolManchester CityNapoliNewcastle UnitedParis Saint-GermainRangersReal MadridTottenham HotspurVillarreal2026 Men's World CupHomeTeamsScores & ScheduleStandingsAlgeriaArgentinaAustraliaAustriaBelgiumBosnia-HerzegovinaBrazilCanadaCape VerdeColombiaCongo DRCroatiaCuracaoCzech RepublicEcuadorEgyptEnglandFranceGermanyGhanaHaitiIR IranIraqIvory CoastJapanJordanMexicoMoroccoNetherlandsNew ZealandNorwayPanamaParaguayPortugalQatarSaudi ArabiaScotlandSenegalSouth AfricaSouth KoreaSpainSwedenSwitzerlandTunisiaTurkeyUnited StatesUruguayUzbekistanTennisHomeFormula 1HomePrime Tire newsletterScheduleFA CupCricketLa LigaHomeScores & ScheduleStandingsTeamsPodcastsCopa del ReyAlavésAthletic ClubAtlético de MadridBarcelonaCelta de VigoElcheEspanyolGetafeGironaLevanteMallorcaOsasunaRayo VallecanoReal BetisReal MadridReal OviedoReal SociedadSevillaValenciaVillarrealEuropa LeagueHomeScores & ScheduleStandingsAberdeenAston VillaCelta de VigoCelticHibernianNottingham ForestRangersReal BetisWomen's FootballHomeNWSL ScheduleFull Time NewsletterPodcastsOlympicsHomeWinter Paralympics Medal TableMedal TableGlobal SportsCyclingSailingSports BusinessHomeBoxingHomeGolfHomeSerie AHomeTeamsScores & ScheduleStandingsPodcastsAtalantaInter MilanJuventusMilanNapoliBundesligaHomeTeamsScores & ScheduleStandingsPodcastsBayer LeverkusenBayern MunichBorussia DortmundEintracht FrankfurtRB LeipzigWolfsburgInternational FootballHomeTeamsPodcastsArgentinaAustraliaBelgiumBrazilCameroonCanadaCosta RicaCroatiaDenmarkEcuadorEnglandFranceGermanyGhanaIR IranJapanMexicoMoroccoNetherlandsNorthern IrelandPolandPortugalQatarRepublic of IrelandSaudi ArabiaScotlandSenegalSerbiaSouth KoreaSpainSwitzerlandTunisiaUruguayUnited StatesUSWNTWalesNFLHomeTeamsScores & ScheduleStandingsFantasyNFL OddsNFL PicksNFL DraftPodcastsScoop City NewsletterAFC EastBillsDolphinsJetsPatriotsAFC NorthBengalsBrownsRavensSteelersAFC SouthColtsJaguarsTexansTitansAFC WestBroncosChargersChiefsRaidersNFC EastCommandersCowboysEaglesGiantsNFC NorthBearsLionsPackersVikingsNFC SouthBuccaneersFalconsPanthersSaintsNFC West49ersCardinalsRamsSeahawksNBAHomeTeamsScores & ScheduleStandingsThe Bounce NewsletterNBA DraftPodcastsFantasyNBA OddsNBA PicksAtlantic76ersCelticsKnicksNetsRaptorsCentralBucksBullsCavaliersPacersPistonsSoutheastHawksHeatHornetsMagicWizardsSouthwestGrizzliesMavericksPelicansRocketsSpursNorthwestJazzNuggetsThunderTimberwolvesTrail BlazersPacificClippersKingsLakersSunsWarriorsMLBHomeTeamsScores & ScheduleStandingsPodcastsThe Windup NewsletterFantasyMLB ProspectsMLB OddsMLB PicksAL EastBlue JaysOriolesRaysRed SoxYankeesAL CentralGuardiansRoyalsTigersTwinsWhite SoxAL WestAngelsAstrosAthleticsMarinersRangersNL EastBravesMarlinsMetsNationalsPhilliesNL CentralBrewersCardinalsCubsPiratesRedsNL WestDiamondbacksDodgersGiantsPadresRockiesWorld Baseball ClassicNHLHomeTeamsScores & ScheduleStandingsPodcastsFantasyNHL OddsNHL PicksAtlanticBruinsCanadiensLightningMaple LeafsPanthersRed WingsSabresSenatorsMetropolitanBlue JacketsCapitalsDevilsFlyersHurricanesIslandersPenguinsRangersCentralAvalancheBlackhawksBluesJetsMammothPredatorsStarsWildPacificCanucksDucksFlamesGolden KnightsKingsKrakenOilersSharksMLSHomeTeamsScores & ScheduleStandingsPodcastsAtlanta UnitedAustin FCClub de Foot MontréalCharlotte FCCrewUnitedDynamoEarthquakesFC CincinnatiFC DallasFireGalaxyInter Miami CFLAFCMNUFCNashville SCNYCFCCity SCRapidsRed BullsReal Salt LakeRevolutionSan Diego FCSounders FCSporting KCSt. Louis City SCTimbersToronto FCUnionWhitecaps FCTransfer NewsFPLHomeEPL HomePodcastsLeague CupChampionshipHomeTeamsScores & ScheduleStandingsPodcastsBirmingham CityBlackburn RoversBristol CityCharlton AthleticCoventry CityDerby CountyHull CityIpswich TownLeicester CityMiddlesbroughMillwallNorwich CityPortsmouthPreston North EndQueens Park RangersSheffield UnitedSheffield WednesdaySouthamptonStoke CitySwansea CityWatfordWest Bromwich AlbionWrexhamLeague OneLeague Two Women's EurosHomeScores & ScheduleStandingsBracketNWSLHomeScores & ScheduleStandingsFull Time newsletterPodcastsCollege SportsNCAAFHomeTeamsScores & ScheduleStandingsPodcastsNewsletterRecruitingOddsPicksAlabamaArizonaBYUGeorgiaGeorgia TechHoustonIndianaIowaJames MadisonMiami (FL)MichiganNorth TexasNotre DameOhio StateOklahomaOle MissOregonTexas A&MTexasTexas TechTulaneUSCUtahVanderbiltVirginiaNCAAMHomeBracketScores & ScheduleTeamsStandingsAlabamaArizonaArkansasDukeFloridaGonzagaHoustonIllinoisIowa StateKansasLouisvilleMiami (FL)Michigan StateMichiganNebraskaNorth CarolinaPurdueSaint Mary'sSt. John'sTennesseeTexas TechUConnVanderbiltVirginiaWisconsinPeakMMAHomeMotorsportsHomePodcastsNASCARCultureHomeMemorabilia & CollectiblesGamingHomeSports BettingHomeFantasy FootballOddsNFL PicksAnalysisWelcome to Lincoln, the underdogs who could soon be welcoming some big Premier League namesLincoln City players celebrate promotion to the Championship after beating Reading Jacob King/PA Images via Getty Images Share full articleLincoln City are in dreamland after confirming their promotion to the Championship with a 2–1 win over Reading on Monday. It will be their first time in the English second division since 1961 and theirs is the definition of an underdog story, with Lincoln’s budget ranking 17th among the third tier’s 24 teams. After a club-record 23 league games without defeat — the longest run in the top four divisions of English football this season — they only needed a point away to Reading to secure automatic promotion with five matches to spare. “It’s something that I’ve never felt before in my life,” midfielder Conor McGrandles told The Athletic. “When the game finishes and you just get to stand here and look at what it means to thousands and thousands of people, it’s absolutely amazing how you can make people feel like that. Just over the moon.” In the Championship, they will face some historic clubs, with Lincoln fans now fantasising about away days in famous grounds and potential big-name visitors to their stadium, Sincil Bank. Tottenham Hotspur, who are just one point away from the Premier League’s relegation zone with seven games to play, could be making that trip next season. West Ham United, Nottingham Forest and Leeds United are also in the fight to avoid an 18th-placed finish, while Burnley and Wolverhampton Wanderers look set to go down in 19th and 20th. “Tottenham away, ole, ole,” sang the travelling Lincoln fans who witnessed history in Reading. For Spurs, a potential league fixture in Lincoln, an inconspicuous city in the East Midlands, represents the contrast between the Premier League and life further down the football pyramid. This writer happens to have grown up in Lincoln, which we locals often have to describe to people unsure of its location as being “near Nottingham” (even then, it’s a one-hour drive), and is more than happy to show you what an away day there next season could look like. Lincoln City, known as the Imps (more on this later), have been in League One for seven straight seasons. The closest they got to promotion, before this year, in that time was in the 2020-21 season when they ultimately lost to Blackpool in the play-off finals. Back then, their play was boosted by the form of loanees, and future England and Wales internationals, Morgan Rogers and Brennan Johnson. As recently as 10 years ago, they were a non-League side, playing outside of England’s top four divisions, after being relegated from League Two in 2010-11. But former-PE-teachers-turned-coaches Danny and Nicky Cowley achieved two promotions, both with league titles, in three seasons, bringing Lincoln back up the football pyramid to League One. Under the Cowley brothers, the team also went on one of the best FA Cup runs for a non-League side in the tournament’s history, reaching the 2016-17 quarter-finals with wins against Burnley of the Premier League and Brighton and Hove Albion, then in the Championship, and Ipswich Town. American investment has helped their continued rise. Ron Fowler, a former co-owner of Major League Baseball’s San Diego Padres, has the largest stake in the club. Arizona-based Harvey Jabara is also a key investor and brought in USMNT’s joint-record goalscorer Landon Donovan as a strategic advisor five years ago. “I couldn’t help but fall in love with Lincoln City and the people of the club,” Donovan told the EFL in 2023. Last August, Lincoln made both their record sale — Jovon Makama to Norwich City of the Championship for £1.2million — and signing, Ukraine Under-21 international Ivan Varfolomeev, in a deal worth £350,000. The club’s influence has stretched far and wide. Future England manager Graham Taylor played for and later managed Lincoln. The most successful club in Gibraltar, an overseas British territory on Spain’s south coast, Lincoln Red Imps, are named after them and competed in the 2021-22 UEFA Conference League. Their main rivals are fellow Lincolnshire club Grimsby Town, who are currently one division below in League Two but made global headlines early this season when they knocked Manchester United out of the Carabao Cup. The club’s nickname, The Imps, originates from Lincoln Cathedral. Once the world’s tallest building, the story goes that an imp — a small and mischievous creature common in European folklore — tormented the place. “When they were building the cathedral, an imp came and was unhappy that it was being built on the hill,” Tim Hudson, a Lincoln Cathedral steward, says. “He decided to do what he could to disrupt it. He flew about, round and round the cathedral, creating a wind, knocking the carpenters and stonemasons off the scaffolding. “He flew inside, and the dean told him to get out. The imp said, ‘No, you great fat s*d. I won’t go’. That was it, total chaos. “God decided, ‘We can’t have this’, and sent an angel down. The angel caught the imp and turned him to stone.” The imp, still encased in stone, can be seen at the far end of the cathedral’s interior (in the image below, with a light shining on it). “Even on a fine summer’s evening, when there’s no wind at all, if you walk around the south side of the cathedral, it’s still a cold wind,” Hudson says. “The wind the imp created.” The other explanation is that masons who did the carvings for the cathedral were given some artistic freedom, known as mason’s fancies, and one decided to produce an imp. The cathedral is situated in a picturesque area, where parts of the movie The Da Vinci Code, featuring Tom Hanks, were filmed. Opposite the cathedral is Lincoln Castle, built for William the Conqueror. It houses one of only four copies of the 1215 Magna Carta, considered foundational for democracy as the first charter to limit the power of the monarchy and uphold individual rights. As you exit Lincoln’s train station, the cathedral and castle are in the opposite direction to the club’s home stadium, but are reasonably walkable, with it being a 30-minute stroll between them. But to reach these sights, you have to go up the aptly named Steep Hill — the fourth-steepest street in the UK. Near the castle is a popular pizza place, Dough LoCo. Their mozzarella sticks and honey pepperoni pizza are a personal favourite. On the walk down Steep Hill, you can find more upmarket pubs and restaurants. If you are after no frills with low prices, Lincoln has two branches of the British pub chain Wetherspoons. The closest one to the stadium is The Ritz, which has dated decor with neon lights on its exterior, and the other is The Square Sail, located on the Brayford, the country’s oldest inland harbour. The best all-round pub is The Mailbox, which has a beer garden, pool tables, lots of screens for sports and not-bad food. For food on the go, the local alternative to the nationwide Greggs bakery shops is Curtis of Lincoln. There is also the Lincoln City Chippy, which serves fish and chips, on the corner of Scorer Street, next to the stadium. Or there is the usual selection of fast-food outlets. The most notable food export from the area is the Lincolnshire sausage, consumed nationwide and made with herb sage seasoning. Next on your itinerary will be Sincil Bank, currently named LNER Stadium for sponsorship reasons (LNER is the train company offering direct routes between the King’s Cross in central London and Lincoln). The stadium that has staged Lincoln’s games since 1895, holds just over 10,000 fans, is surrounded by terraced housing — like many football grounds in the UK — and has a river running behind its main stand. Away supporters sit behind one of the goals, in the Stacey West Stand, named after Bill Stacey and Jim West, two fans who died during the stadium fire at Bradford City during a game against Lincoln in 1985. This section of the ground is not far from the loudest Lincoln supporters, who are known as the 617 Squadron. According to the club, Lincoln have already sold 6,000 season tickets ahead of next season and plan upgrades to the stadium’s fan village and hospitality spaces. The stadium itself was sold out on Good Friday in the hope of a promotion party against AFC Wimbledon, with 10,088 fans egging the team to a 1-0 win. However, Stockport County and Bolton Wanderers also won that afternoon, delaying the celebrations. On Monday, 2,884 fans made the trip to Reading. Michael Skubala has done the unthinkable with Lincoln, taking them to the second division for the first time in 65 years. “When you look at the size of the club, the resources at this level, what the group’s done on the run, I’m not sure it’d be easy to replicate a season like this again,” Skubala said after the Wimbledon match. He briefly managed in the Premier League in February 2023, promoted from the under-21s team as interim Leeds United boss after the sacking of Jesse Marsch. He took charge of two games, both against Manchester United, achieving a 2-2 away draw at Old Trafford but losing 2-0 at home four days later, then stepped aside with the appointment of Javi Gracia. Before working at Leeds, he was manager of the England futsal team, where he worked closely with now West Ham defender Maximilian Kilman. Skubala joined Lincoln in November of the 2023-24 season. They went on to finish seventh in League One before placing 11th last season. He has become known for a front-footed and direct approach, with Lincoln not needing much of the ball. Lincoln are bottom in League One for average possession, but have scored the most goals and are in the top three for big chances and shots on target. It’s a style that has helped them punch beyond their weight. Skubala said he told his players before Monday’s game that this would be the day they would make history. “I said to them, what goes down in a pub quiz is who got promoted first in 2025-26? It will be Lincoln City,” he told reporters after the game. The 43-year-old has signed and relied on a host of experienced players, including captain Tendayi Darikwa, who won League One with Wigan in the 2021-22 season, as well as Sonny Bradley and James Collins. “Togetherness and hard work. That’s what we’re about,” Darikwa told The Athletic after the win over Reading. “We pride ourselves on being a group that fights for every single ball. That’s something that money can’t buy.” Spot the pattern. Connect the terms Find the hidden link between sports terms Eduardo Tansley is an Explainer Journalist for The Athletic. He completed his postgraduate in Sports Journalism from St Mary's University, Twickenham