The FPA guests for Saturday’s home Sky Bet League One game against Mansfield Town are host Gavin Gordon, plus fellow former players Alan Marriott and Ron Harbertson.
Gavin Gordon
Gavin Gordon was a striker who made his senior debut for Hull City just two months after his 16th birthday and went on to make regular first team appearances for the Tigers before he was sold to the Imps in November 1997 when he was still just 18-years-old.
In his first season, he helped City win promotion and was a first team regular. In 2000-01 he scored 10 goals by early December and was then sold to Cardiff City for a six-figure fee. He later played for Notts County. Gavin is chairman of the Former Players Association.
Lincoln City record:
Debut: vs Swansea City, away 8 November 1997
Football League: 87 appearances plus 12 as substitute, 28 goals
FA Cup: 9 appearances, 2 goals
Football League Cup: 2 appearances, 1 goal
Other: 4 appearances plus 1 as substitute
Alan Marriott
Alan Marriott, who played for the Imps for nine seasons between 1999 and 2008, holds the record number of appearances for City as a goalkeeper, playing 395 games in league and cup competitions and including 351 appearances in the Football League.
He also holds the record for the most clean sheets with 111 in league and cup games. Alan started his career at Tottenham before signing for the Imps in 1999. He made his first team debut early the following year and established himself as first choice keeper.
Alan twice appeared for City in the play-off finals before departing in the summer of 2008. He had a short spell with Rushden & Diamonds before signing for Mansfield in January 2009. Alan went on to make over 200 first team appearances for the Stags and was a near ever-present when Mansfield won the Conference in 2012-13 to earn promotion back to the Football League.
Lincoln City record
Debut: vs Torquay United, home 12 February 2000
Football League: 351 appearances
FA Cup: 13 appearances
Football League Cup: 10 appearances
Others: 21 appearances
Ron Harbertson
Ron Harbertson is one of the oldest former Imps players at the age of 94 and president of the Former Players Association.
Ron was a forward whose career began at Newcastle United and he went to play for clubs including Bradford City, Brighton, Grimsby and Darlington before he joined City in March 1958 when the club looked doomed to be relegated into the Third Division.
However, the Imps had a dramatic change of form, winning the final six games of the season to avoid the drop with Ron scoring in each of the matches.
He was a regular in the City team before departing to play for Wrexham in March 1960. Ron then had a short spell with Darlington before returning to Sincil Bank for the 1961-62 season. He later played for Grantham.
Lincoln City record:
Debut: vs Liverpool, away 15 March 1958
Football League: 86 appearances, 25 goals
FA Cup: 5 appearances, 1 goal
Football League Cup: 1 appearance, 2 goals
