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Lincoln United F.C.

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Lincoln United
Full nameLincoln United Football Club
Nickname(s)The Whites, The Amateurs
Founded1938 (as Lincoln Amateurs)
GroundAshby Avenue, Lincoln
Capacity2,714 (400 seated)[1]
ChairmanVacant
ManagerScott Hellewell
LeagueUnited Counties League Premier Division North
2023–24United Counties League Premier Division North, 2nd of 18
Websitehttp://www.pitchero.com/clubs/lincolnunited/
Ashby Avenue

Lincoln United Football Club is a football club based in Lincoln, Lincolnshire, England. They are currently members of the United Counties League Premier Division North and play at Ashby Avenue. Nicknamed the Whites after their home kit colours, they have played at Ashby Avenue since their foundation in 1938.

History

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The club was established in 1938 as Lincoln Amateurs, but World War II prevented them from joining a league until 1945, when they became members of the Lincolnshire League.[1] The following season saw them transfer to the Lincoln League, and in 1954 the club were renamed Lincoln United after taking on a paid player, Ray Bean.[2] In 1960 they rejoined the Lincolnshire League and went on to win the league title in 1963–64.[3] The club moved up to Division Two of the Yorkshire League in 1967 and won the division at the first attempt, earning promotion to Division One.[4]

Lincoln United were Division One champions in 1970–71 and again in 1973–74.[4] However, after finishing bottom of the division in 1978–79, the club were relegated to Division Two. A third-place finish in Division Two in 1980–81 saw them promoted back to Division One. In 1981 the Yorkshire League merged with the Midland League to form the Northern Counties East League, with Lincoln placed in Division One South. Although they won the division in the league's inaugural season, the club were not promoted.[4] League reorganisation in 1985 led to Lincoln being placed in Division Two. Although they won the division at the first attempt, the club left the league to join the newly formed Supreme Division of the Central Midlands League.[4]

The 1991–92 season saw Lincoln United reach the first round of the FA Cup for the first time, losing 7–0 at Huddersfield Town; this was the first (and still the only) time a club from the Central Midlands League reached the FA Cup first round.[5] They went on to win the Supreme Division at the end of the season and moved back up to Division One of the Northern Counties East League. The following season saw the club win the Division One title, securing promotion to the Premier Division. They went on to win the Premier Division in 1994–95 and were promoted to Division One of the Northern Premier League.[4]

The next two seasons saw Lincoln finish third in Division One, narrowly missing out on the two promotion places. In 1997–98 they reached the FA Cup first round again, losing 2–0 at Walsall.[4] A fourth-place finish in 2003–04 was enough for promotion to the Premier Division, with the creation of the Conference North and South seeing numerous clubs promoted to fill the new divisions. However, the club were relegated in 2007–08 after finishing bottom of the Premier Division, dropping into Division One South. In 2015–16 they finished fifth in the division, qualifying for the promotion play-offs for the first time. In the play-offs the club were beaten 3–2 in the semi-finals by Shaw Lane.[4] The following season the club won the Lincolnshire Senior Cup for the first time, beating Stamford 3–2 in the final.[6]

In 2022–23 Lincoln finished third-from-bottom of Division One East of the Northern Premier League, resulting in them facing an inter-step play-off with a club from the division below. After being beaten 2–1 by Avro they were relegated to the Premier Division North of the United Counties League. They were runners-up in the division the following season, subsequently losing 3–1 to Skegness Town in the play-off semi-finals.

The following season saw a similar pattern with United racing into an early league lead before some poor form allowed both Eastwood CFC and Bourne Town to catch up. Although the form picked up again, the pair started creating a sizeable gap. It wasn't until the final few weeks of the season, and 26 game unbeaten run, that United started catching up, regaining top spot with just a few weeks to go. A 2-2 draw at Eastwood in the penultimate weekend of the season meant The Whites went into the final weekend knowing two wins would secure the title, although anything less would likely see at least one of Eastwood or Bourne take over at the top due to their superior goal different.

United would win on the final Saturday of the season, beating Heanor Town 3-1 at Ashby Avenue, before, a 0-0 draw at Skegness Town on Easter Monday. The point was enough to secure the title, finishing top by a single point ahead of Bourne, and three ahead of Eastwood, who surprisingly lost 3-0 at home to Belper United. Had they won, then United would have finished 2nd, but the point was indeed enough to secure a first league championship in 30 years, returning to the Northern Premier League two years after leaving it.

Women's team

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Originally founded in 2017 as Hykeham Town Ladies, the club was renamed Lincoln United Women in 2020 when the club amalgamated with Lincoln United. The club were then members of the East Midlands Regional Women's League Premier Division, having been promoted from Division One North following the curtailed 2019–20 season. In 2022–23 the team won the Lincolnshire FA County Women's Cup for the first time, defeating Lincoln City Women 2–0 in the final. In 2023–24 the team completed a treble, winning all 18 league games to secure the league title and earn promotion to Division One Midlands of the FA Women's National League, as well as winning the League Cup and the Lincolnshire FA County Women's Cup.

Staff

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Position Incumbent
Manager Scott Hellewell
Assistant Manager Jon Taylor
Coach Paul Grimes
Goalkeeper Coach James Morgan
Physio Tom Philips

Honours

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  • United Counties League Premier Division North
    • Champions - 2004/25
  • Northern Counties East League
    • Premier Division champions - 1994–95
    • Division One champions - 1992–93
    • Division One South champions - 1982–83
    • Division Two champions - 1985–86
    • Presidents Cup winners - 1993–94[7]
  • Yorkshire League
    • Division One champions - 1970–71, 1973–74
    • Division Two champions - 1967–68
  • Central Midlands League
    • Supreme Division champions - 1991–92
  • Lincolnshire League
    • Champions - 1963–64
  • Lincolnshire Senior Shield
    • Winners - 2005–06[8]
  • Lincolnshire Senior Cup
    • Winners - 2016–17
  • Lincolnshire Senior A Cup
    • Winners - 1972–73, 1985–86, 1995–96[8]
  • Lincolnshire Senior B Cup
    • Winners -1963–64, 1970–71[8]
  • Lincolnshire Intermediate Cup
    • Winners - 1967–68, 1968–69, 1969–70, 1970–71, 1971–72, 1972–73, 1980–81
  • Lincolnshire Junior Cup
    • Winners - 1955–56[8]

Records

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See also

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References

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  1. ^ a b c Lincoln United Non-League Club Directory
  2. ^ History Lincoln United F.C.
  3. ^ Lincolnshire League 1948–1968 Non-League Matters
  4. ^ a b c d e f g h i j Lincoln United at the Football Club History Database
  5. ^ Central Midlands League Football Club History Database
  6. ^ Lincolnshire Senior Cup Final Sponsored by Bluefin Sport Lincolnshire FA
  7. ^ Honours Northern Counties East League
  8. ^ a b c d 2013–14 Handbook Lincolnshire FA
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