The Former Players' Association guests for Saturday’s home Sky Bet League One game against Wigan Athletic are host and FPA chairman Gavin Gordon, Ron Harbertson, Roger Holmes, Terry Cooper and Trevor Swinburne.
We also have well-known former local footballer Fred Coatsworth. Fred played for clubs including Lincoln United, Scunthorpe United and Gainsborough Trinity.
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
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
Roger Holmes
Roger Holmes signed amateur forms for the Imps in May 1958 when he was just 15-years-old, having previously been playing for Limestone Rangers in the Gainsborough League.
Roger made his reserve team debut four days after his 16th birthday and in September 1959 signed as a professional having already broken into the first team who were then playing in the Second Division (now the Championship).
Roger was a skilful player who appeared in several different positions including winger, inside-forward and right half and made over 300 first team appearances for City.
He featured in every game of the Football League Cup run in 1967-68 when the Imps reached the fourth round and finished the season as leading scorer with 14 league goals, plus another three in the League Cup.
The following season he suffered a serious injury in the home game against York City which put him out of action for a lengthy period. Roger played his final game for the Imps in a 3-2 home win against Peterborough in October 1971. He is involved in our Former Players Association as a committee member.
Lincoln City record
Debut: vs Brighton, away 18 April 1960
Football League: 276 appearances plus 2 as substitute, 36 goals
FA Cup: 13 appearances, 1 goal
Football League Cup: 16 appearances, 3 goals
Terry Cooper
Terry Cooper initially signed for City in December 1971 on loan from Notts County. He went back to Meadow Lane after making three appearances for the Imps but in the summer of 1972 he made a permanent move to Sincil Bank.
Terry, who started out playing in midfield, switched to centre-back with great success and went on to play almost 300 first team games for City.
He was a key member of the 1975-76 team which won the Division Four championship and was twice voted Player of the Season by the supporters.
Terry left Sincil Bank in the summer of 1979 and later played for Bradford City and Rochdale.
Lincoln City record
Debut: vs Stockport County, home 18 December 1971
Football League: 268 appearances plus 2 as substitute, 12 goals
FA Cup: 15 appearances plus 1 as substitute, 1 goal
Football League Cup: 13 appearances
Trevor Swinburne
Trevor Swinburne began his long goalkeeping career as an apprentice with Sunderland in the late 1960s and finished it with the Imps 20 years later.
During his time at Sunderland he was understudy to Jim Montgomery and made several first team appearances before moving on to Carlisle United in the summer of 1977.
Trevor made over 250 first team appearances for Carlisle during his six years with the club and was an ever-present in their team which won promotion to the old Second Division in 1981-82.
He then played for Brentford and Leeds United before signing for City in February 1986 as a replacement for Stuart Naylor. Trevor made regular appearances for the Imps until retiring in the summer of 1987.
He was the first chairman of the Lincoln City Former Players Association when it was formed in 2017, was a key figure in developing the organisation and has recently returned to the committee.
Lincoln City record
Debut: vs Blackpool, away 25 February 1986
Football League: 34 appearances
FA Cup: 3 appearances
Football League Cup: 3 appearances
