Last Season
A serious letdown for the Imps, if Peter Jackson's ridiculous pre-season posturing is anything to go by. His boast that his signing were the "envy of League Two" seemed bizarre when he said them, even more so when his side spluttered to an unimpressive mid-table finish. He frittered his pre-season budget away on ridiculously inadequate boys, such as Stefan Oakes who just isn't suited to this division and Kevin Gall who should just give up football and take up running. Frank Sinclair might have brought experience but he didn't exactly bring much improvement to the Imps' back line. Rob Burch was a fine signing and he's one of the most impressive 'keepers in League Two, while defender Moses Swaibu was an inspired find from non-league Bromley, so Jackson's buys represented more of a mixed bag than something to be truly envious of.
He did appear to improve later in the season though, with Swaibu being an excellent spot and Crewe duo Anthony Elding and Michael O'Connor both bringing quality in on loan, by that time the season was pretty much a write off at Sincil Bank though. They never threatened to kick on and make a push at the play-offs, while losing Lee Frecklington to Peterborough mid-season was a serious blow. There were shining lights for Lincoln however, young defender Danny Hone emerged as a promising talent and Adrian Patulea and Dany N'Guessan both impressed sufficiently enough to earn themselves summer moves to Leyton Orient and Leicester City respectively.
The Manager
Peter Jackson, League Two's very own talking hype machine. His constant boasts of how amazing he and his side are even began to annoy the Lincoln fans after a while and happily he seems to have decided it's a wise idea just to be quiet and get on with improving the side this year. His main achievement to date is managing to get Huddersfield Town promoted (courtesy of a dodgy linesman and a hilarious Liam Lawrence penalty against Mansfield) with a handsome amount of funding for this level. When he took over at Lincoln he said he could get a side that'd be struggling hideously under John Schofield into the play-offs, a plan that was scuppered both by the fact that his side was simply not good enough and that Jackson was diagnosed with throat cancer mid-way through the season, which he is happily now over.
This summer he seems something of a changed man however, and seems to have realised that it's shrewd buys and tactics that get a side up the table, rather than empty promises. He's lost three key players in Patulea, Frecklington and N'Guessan but this could work in their favour as their side now appears more balanced and hard working rather than reliant on three key players. One things for sure, this season is probably make or break for Jackson at Sincil Bank.
The Squad
Perhaps the most blindingly obvious mid-table squad in the division, Lincoln appear to have a solid enough side that should be sufficient to keep them out of trouble but insufficient to get them into the upper echelons of League Two. Rob Burch is a fine goalkeeper and the defence in general looks quite impressive, particularly if young full back Cian Hughton is offered a deal. Two out of Janos Kovacs, Moses Swaibu and Danny Hone in the centre appears to give Jackson good options, with all three having the potential to really kick on this year. Left back Joe Heath on loan from Nottingham Forest is also highly rated at the City Ground.
In midfield however they do appear to be somewhat weak, Richard Butcher only plays well for Lincoln and will regain some of his form at Sincil Bank, but is never going to be good enough to hold the midfield together for a play-off chasing side. Scott Kerr is steady and dependable and the two together should form a solid if unspectacular central midfield pairing. Out wide the loss of N'Guessan will hit City hard and there are serious questions as to whether Aaron Brown and Jamie Clarke are ready to fill his shoes. Upfront the Imps have plenty of options with few good enough, apart from ex-Manchester United traineer Chris Fagan. A prodigious talent, Fagan has been developed at the Glenn Hoddle academy in Spain and will be one of the risisng talents in this division this season. Paul Connor was a useful striker at this level once but whether he can refind that form is debatable and he will never be a prolific scorer, whilst the likes of Lenell John-Lewis and Jamie Clarke just aren't good enough to make a real difference for the Imps.
Predictions
With Jackson concentrating on managing rather than posturing he should be able to lead Lincoln to a similar finish as last year but with a poorer squad. Fagan could be a real gem but could struggle if the burden of scoring all the Imps' goals is put on his shoulders, while Butcher and Kerr smacks of a run-of-the-mill midfield. Defence is where their real quality lies but it is inexperienced and will make mistakes, with all these issues adding together to mean that the Imps will struggle to make much of an impact on the division this year.
15th