Lincoln City to be promoted back to Football League as champions if they win tomorrow

Lincoln City will be promoted back to the Football League after six seasons if they beat Macclesfield Town at a sold-out Sincil Bank tomorrow.

The Imps will be Conference champions if they beat the Silkmen in what promises to be a memorable occasion, and one which will cap a season that has been one that dreams are made off.

The game will kick off at an earlier time of 12.15pm, and will be broadcast live on BT Sport.

Both the Stacey West Car Park and the South Common will be closed for parking for tomorrow’s game.

Stadium car parking will be restricted to those with pre-booked permits so all supporters who will be travelling to the game via car are advised to arrive as early as possible with only street parking available.

The University of Lincoln will open its 80-space car park at the Joseph Banks Laboratories for free.

Lincoln were relegated from the Football League in 2011, and fans have endured season after season of underachievement in the Conference since then.

Fortunes changed with the appointment of Braintree Town boss Danny Cowley as manager, with his brother Nicky joining him from the Essex club as assistant.

The former PE teacher has transformed the Imps from a mid-table team into table-toppers, with highlights including a double over second placed Tranmere Rovers, and a run of six consecutive victories in April, culminating in a dramatic late 2-1 win at Gateshead, which saw 2,500 Imps’ fans make the long journey up to the north-east.

The fantastic and consistent performances in the league were overshadowed for much of the season by the Imps’ giant-killing exploits in the FA Cup, which saw them dump out League One Oldham Athletic, Championship clubs Ipswich Town and Brighton, and Premier League Burnley.

Thousands travelled to north London to see Lincoln bravely lose to Arsenal in the quarter finals, in a match which caught the imagination of the local, national and international media.

Promotion back to the Football League will see a return of the Lincolnshire derby against fierce rivals Grimsby Town, as well as other local games against Notts County, Mansfield Town and Chesterfield.