Lincoln City making an extraordinary season the norm.

I had an exchange with a fan on social media in the week, you know the sort of thing, letting our imaginations run away with us a bit but we finished the chat agreeing on one thing. This is not a normal season for the Imps and these are possibly once in a lifetime opportunities for we supporters, anyone connected with the club in fact.

For other clubs these times may be commonplace, not for us. I had a family member connected with the club, at boardroom level and I’m a shareholder. City’s problems have rarely, if ever, been about how to fit more fans in the ground, how to make sure the toilets flush as there are that many people using them, how to get the irrigation system to function properly for much the same reason.

City’s history, for those who have had to grapple with such matters, has been to do with lack of cash, attracting the right players and managers or having to make do with personnel who weren’t up to the job but were all the club could afford or persuade to come to Sincil Bank. Get bums on seats. Historically the board and management have had to be concerned with keeping the club afloat rather than ensuring a promotion bid comes to fruition. Even when the club had the players to achieve success finances have got in the way. Even great managers such as Graham Taylor and Colin Murphy have felt the cold wind of reality blowing away their aspirations.

Yesterdays win at Cheltenham underlined the sea change that the Cowley revolution has brought to our lives. Like me you probably thought oh yes, well we were expected to win there as indeed we were but that wasn’t the case last season, in fact we have rarely prospered there. Yesterday I read a Grimsby Town fan bemoaning their fate (yes I know, sorry) stating it was not the managers fault, years of neglect had led to their lowly position, the club train at a cricket pavilion on one and a half pitches. Well that was us last season.

As our team prepare for games at their state of the art elite performance centre and stay in a hotel whenever the manager deems it necessary, training at some high end venue or other and don’t have to rely on a wealthy benefactor helping them out it’s worth reminding ourselves this is Lincoln City, the new kids on the block when it comes to success. The ones with the FA Cup run, the Wembley winners, the ones the opposition manager has to think up his excuses well before the match because he knows almost certainly he’s going to need them. This is the reality of the moment.

Doesn’t it feel wonderful?