Lincoln City are an established League One side now, aspiring to cling onto the coattails of the teams in the promotion race.

Not so long ago, they were cast out of the Football League, aimlessly floundering in the middle of the National League with little hope of getting back. In 2016, that all changed, as two former schoolteachers from Essex took the reigns. Danny and Nicky Cowley revitalised the club, giving them two promotions in three sensational seasons and a maiden trip to Wembley in 2018.

Their Checkatrade Trophy win is the one triumph often lost in talk of the club’s rise. Sandwiched between two league titles, it’s a maligned competition that few take pride in until they win it. For Lincoln, it was the first trip to Wembley in the club’s existence, and whilst a hardy few upheld the boycott, 41,000 supporters packed into Wembley, a large portion of them wearing red and white.

They defeated League One promotion contenders Shrewsbury 1-0, courtesy of Elliot Whitehouse’s first-half strike. It was a great moment for all at the club, but what happened to the players that gave them their first triumph at Wembley?

Ryan Allsop

Allsop was on loan at Lincoln, having joined hours before the semi-final against Chelsea Under 21s. He had previously spent time on loan with Blackpool, Wycombe, Coventry and Portsmouth, and it was the Chairboys who snapped him up when Bournemouth released him months after Wembley. He recently signed for Hull City, just up the A15 from Lincoln, after spells with Derby and Cardiff.

Sam Habergham

Sam Habergham played a key role in Lincoln’s promotion from the National League, but he played through the pain barrier for much of the season. The likable left-back only started three more matches for Lincoln before a serious injury kept him out for almost two-and-a-half seasons. He returned with Grimsby Town and has recently signed for Woking, where he has two starts under his belt.

Luke Waterfall

Luke Waterfall must have made an impression on Shrewsbury Town, as they signed Lincoln’s then-captain just one match into the 2018/19 season. After a single season in Shropshire, he moved back to Lincolnshire with Grimsby Town, with whom he suffered relegation from the Football League, and another promotion. Now 33, he’s still at Blundell Park.

Michael Bostwick

Michael Bostwick was Lincoln’s marquee signing of the 2017 summer window, and he proved to be a huge asset, helping them to the League Two title the following season. He left the club during the Covid hiatus, signing firstly for Burton Albion and then Stevenage. After winning promotion with them last season, he joined Boston United in the National League North.

Neal Eardley

Like Bostwick, Eardley also appeared for Burton after leaving Lincoln during the Covid break. The right-back was one of the few players in the Lincoln squad with experience higher up the spectrum but struggled to make an impact at the Pirelli or Barrow where he moved on loan. He’s now a coach with the Imps’ League One rivals Blackpool.

Elliot Whitehouse

Whitehouse grabbed the goal that secured the Imps’ win, but he had been in and out of the side throughout his tenure with the club. Like Waterfall, he signed for Grimsby Town, but he did so just three months after the Wembley final, turning down a new deal with the Imps. He suffered a ruptured anterior cruciate ligament injury in pre-season 2018/19, which limited him to just 33 league outings for the Mariners. Most recently, he’s joined Chester City in the National League North.

Lee Frecklington

Frecklington was the story of the semi-final, returning to the club he came through with as a youngster and scoring the penalty that secured their place at Wembley. After a promising start to his second Imps spell, he was injured in the 6-2 win at Port Vale and never fully got over it. Imps manager Michael Appleton cast him aside after taking over from the Cowleys, and Frecklington retired after being released.

Danny Rowe

Rowe had two spells on loan at Sincil Bank from Ipswich. In the first, he won the Checkatrade Trophy, and in the second, he won the League Two title. In 2019/20, he played 14 times for Ipswich in League One before a stint with Burton Albion. The Brewers released him in 2022, following which he started a property development company with former Chelsea defender Michael Mancienne.

Alex Woodyard

Woodyard was the jewel in the Imps’ crown after their promotion and their most saleable asset after the Wembley win. He moved to Peterborough United in 2018 and, after a spell with Tranmere, headed south to AFC Wimbledon. He left them this summer, surprisingly dropping out of the Football League to sign for York City.

Matt Rhead

Big Matt Rhead was a player opposition fans loved to hate, and his challenge on Dean Henderson early in the game sparked a lot of anger. Rhead remained with Lincoln throughout their title-winning season before dropping out of the Football League to sign for ambitious Billericay. The self-confessed Stoke City fan spent a season with Boreham Wood before joining the likes of Whitehouse and Bostwick in the National League North, signing for Alfreton.

Matt Green

Matt Green was a well-travelled striker when he arrived at Sincil Bank, and he finished the campaign as the club’s leading scorer. The following season he spent six months as an understudy to John Akinde before moving to Salford City. Like Waterfall and Whitehouse, he spent time with county rivals Grimsby Town, and he’s currently in the Welsh third tier with Newport City.

Sean Long

Long was a substitute on the day of the final, coming on in injury time to replace Matt Green. He was on the fringe for much of the season, starting 13 matches in League Two, and was released at the end of the campaign. He signed for Cheltenham Town, where he is still a key player with 175 senior appearances.

Ollie Palmer

Striker Palmer replaced Rhead just after the hour but was very much the third choice behind the big man and Green. He spent a single season at Sincil Bank and was very much a marmite figure before he was sold to Crawley for a nominal fee. Always controversial, he was filmed mocking Crawley’s facilities during his spell there, moving to Wimbledon, where his first goal came against Lincoln. He’s now with Wrexham, originally dropping two divisions to sign for the Red Dragons. He still causing controversy after suggesting promotion this season would be a formality.

Harry Anderson

Anderson is the joint most decorated Lincoln City player of all time, winning three trophies in as many seasons, as well as appearing at Wembley twice. He spent four seasons with the club, scoring 27 goals in 177 outings. He was one of the players released by Michael Appleton in 2021, and he signed for Bristol Rovers, whom he helped to promotion from League Two. He’s now with Stevenage, although he’s yet to make a start after battling injury in pre-season.