Ask any Lincoln City fan under the age of 40 what their favourite memory is, and 95% will pick something from the Cowley era.
Danny Cowley took over the club in May 2016 after five seasons languishing in the non-league scene. When he left in September 2019, they had enjoyed two promotions, a Wembley cup final win, an FA Cup quarter-final and a play-off campaign. Along with brother Nicky, he is credited with ushering in a new era which has now seen the Imps spend as long in the third tier as at any point in their history since the north and south divisions merged to make four tiers.
Everything positive about the club now can be traced back to their reign. The money flowed into the club in the light of their remarkable FA Cup run, and instead of spending solely on players, they improved infrastructure, building a new training ground. That’s the jewel in their crown right now, tempting players to the LNER Stadium. Danny helped bring current Director of Football Jez George to the club, and their player trading, with the likes of Harry Toffolo and Sean Raggett, helped evolve the current squad.
The ghosts of Danny and Nicky Cowley no longer stalk the corridors of their Elite Performance Centre, enough time has now passed for them to be a credit and take their place in history, rather than a barometer used to measure the current manager’s success. There was a nice passing of the baton when Michael Skubala took over, as he and Danny did a podcast where they chatted football, finally closing the door on the Cowley era.
That’s why it now feels apt to drop a top five goals of the Cowley era because fans can look back with fondness, not regret or a desire for a return to those magical three years that helped reshape their club.
Without further ado, here are the top five Lincoln City goals of the Cowley era. Did we miss any? Let us know on social media.
