Meet the opposition | Lincoln City
As Swansea City get set to lock horns with Lincoln City, we take a closer look at the Imps.
What’s their story?
Founded in 1884, Lincoln City Football Club are one of the oldest clubs in the English Football League, with the Imps taking their nickname from the famous Lincoln Imp legend.
Lincoln became founder members of the Football League Second Division in 1892, before moving to Sincil Bank in 1895, where they have played ever since. They went on to win the Third Division North title on three occasions, with their first promotion to the second tier coming in 1932.
The Imps have experienced several spells outside the Football League, most recently returning in 2017 after winning the National League title. That season also saw Lincoln make history by becoming the first non-League side in more than 100 years to reach the FA Cup quarter-finals.
Since returning to the EFL, Lincoln have won the EFL Trophy in 2018 and the League Two title in 2019. Their latest success came in 2026, when they secured the League One title with a club-record 103 points and earned promotion to the Championship for the first time in 65 years.
How’s their form?
Lincoln City have made a strong start to life back in the Championship, picking up 11 points from their opening seven games and keeping four clean sheets.
Their most recent victory came in midweek, when they secured a 1-0 win away at Bristol City. The result made it back-to-back league wins for the Imps for the first time this season.
Who’s the gaffers?
Chris Cohen and Tom Shaw are the head coaches of the Imps, having stepped up from their roles as assistant head coaches following last season’s League One title success.
Cohen returned to the Imps in November 2024, having previously worked with the club and also gained Premier League coaching experience with Southampton. Shaw has been at Lincoln since 2018, holding a number of coaching roles alongside a spell as head coach of Gainsborough Trinity.
The pair played key roles in Lincoln’s historic 2025-26 campaign, helping the Imps secure the League One title before taking charge in the summer following Michael Skubala's departure for Bristol City.
Who’s the captain?
Tendayi Darikwa is Lincoln City’s club captain, having joined the Imps in July 2024 and quickly established himself as a key figure.
The experienced right-back began his career with Chesterfield before going on to play for Burnley, Nottingham Forest and Wigan Athletic. He captained Wigan to the League One title in 2021-22 and has also won international honours with Zimbabwe.
Darikwa enjoyed a strong first season at Lincoln, winning both the Player of the Season and Players’ Player of the Season awards. He was named captain ahead of the 2025-26 campaign and played a key role as the Imps secured the League One title.
Darikwa has been ruled out for the rest of the season after rupturing his anterior cruciate ligament last month, with Connor McGrandles a likely alternative to captain Lincoln City.
Who are the key men?
Ben House joined Lincoln from Eastleigh in January 2022 after coming through the academy at Reading and gaining loan experience with Swindon Town and Dagenham & Redbridge.
The forward made an immediate impact at the ProAmpac Stadium, winning the Golden Boot and Players’ Player of the Year awards during his first full season.
House has now surpassed 150 appearances for the Imps, scoring eight goals during their 2025-26 title-winning campaign, including a crucial brace against Doncaster as Lincoln secured the League One title.
Mikkel Ladefoged is another key player having joined Lincoln City from Swedish side Västerås SK in August 2026, arriving in England with an impressive recent goalscoring record.
The 23-year-old began his senior career in Denmark before moving to Sweden, where he scored 10 goals in 15 appearances during the 2025 Superettan campaign.
Ladefoged continued that form in the Allsvenskan, scoring nine times in 14 appearances in 2026. He now looks to make his mark in English football after joining the Imps.