As manager Danny Cowley and his assistant, brother Nicky, moved on to pastures new at Championship club Huddersfield Town, supporters of Lincoln City would have had every right to feel a little concerned.

The Cowley brothers had taken the club from the bottom half of the Vanarama National League to the top end of League One in a little over three years while using revenue earned from the club's memorable FA Cup run in 2016/17 to completely overhaul and revolutionise the infrastructure of the club.

The management duo have continuously adapted their team and style to the needs of the division and had evolved the Imps from a direct, physical unit to the much more expansive, comfortable in possession outfit that is competing well in the third tier of English football.

Having been courted by - and turned down - numerous offers from other, bigger clubs in recent years, the Cowley's took the plunge and accepted the offer from Huddersfield, leaving a great legacy behind and a huge void to fill from Lincoln's perspective.

The success the club has had on the pitch, the way it has reconnected with the local community (Lincoln regularly sell out their home stadium, Sincil Bank) and the lasting effect of the Cowley brothers spell in charge will take some replacing.

The Imps have, recently, acquired a very sensible yet proactive board of directors and it will require them to make the right call in their hiring of a new manager if the club are to continue on an upward curve.

Newport's Michael Flynn and ex Lincoln player Gareth Ainsworth, currently boss at Wycombe, have been heavily linked - though both have ruled out the move, initially at least. Former Scunthorpe United, Southampton and Hull City manager Nigel Adkins has also been mooted on social media, though there appears to be no formal link there at present.

Whether these would be good choices or not remains to be seen. They are all very good man managers, good communicators who, on the whole, build solid and dependable units who are very competitive.

What the new man will require is the capability to continue the evolution of Lincoln's playing style, something the Cowley's continually addressed and, more often than not, changed for the better.

While in non-league and League Two, winning the physical battle is paramount. The higher up the leagues you go, ability on the ball, along with counter attacking and transitions become a little more important and, though still tenacious, Lincoln now have some fantastic technical players such as Jack Payne, Bruno Andrade, Jorge Grant and Tyler Walker.

The Cowley's were also good communicators, PR savvy and driven by desire as they put the club back at the heart of the city, a connection that had been missing for many years. The new man in charge will need the skills to carry on the 'Imps as one' initiatives that has seen the club flourish over the last few years.

The board of directors at Lincoln City should look to take their time over their management selection, make sure the newcomer ticks every box - both on the pitch and off it - in their vision for the club.

Replacing the Cowley's is no easy task, though the Imps are in a good position both financially and structurally, the job they have done at Lincoln has been revolutionary. However an ill-judged decision here may set the club backwards, lose the connection with the community and see the club, eventually, head towards the lower echelons of the Football League.