Five years is a long time in football and Lincoln City are perhaps as much a testament to that as anyone.

They've gone from being a bottom-half National League side in 2013 to a fully fledged member of the Football League.

However, that only tells half the story.

They won the Checkatrade Trophy last season, they won the nation's hearts with their FA Cup run the year before and this season, they're aiming to win League Two as well.

That's not bad work for just over two years of life under Danny and Nicky Cowley. The resurgence has lit a fire in the city, with attendances rising from around 2,000 to 9,000 sell out crowds every week.

It may horrify some to have to look back any further than the summer of 2016, but FLW look at the four worst signings Lincoln City have made in the last five years.

If you're squeamish, look away now.

Marsden was a loan signing who joined from Southport in the 2014/15 season. The days of Lincoln City borrowing Southport players seems long gone, but it wasn't in the too distant past.

He made six appearances, failing to score in any, before returning to Southport. Since then he's played for Colwyn Bay and Telford and is now with Stalybridge Celtic.

With such a wide range of awful players to plump for in the distant past, it might seem strange to pull a Danny Cowley signing into the list, but Jordan Maguire-Drew was utterly woeful.

He had a terrific season with Dagenham prior to his six-month loan deal, but looked ill at ease in the Football League last season. His wicked left foot wasn't matched by anything on the right side of his body, nor his positional sense.

A brace in the Checkatrade Trophy was his only meaningful contribution before joining Coventry on loan, where he flopped again.

Lincoln fans may struggle to remember the 32-year old, he played just twice for the club and was way short of the required standard even in the National League.

Reid had scored 58 times in 96 outings for Newport County, but had suffered a steep decline and never looked settled at Lincoln. He's since plied his trade with Gainsborough Trinity, Barwell and Coventry United.

Liam Hearn wouldn't seem like such a bad signing on the face of it. He started tremendously for Chris Moyses whilst he was in charge and seemed to be on course to firing the Imps into the National League play off race.

Then he felt he wasn't being played enough, despite recovering from a serious injury, and decided he wanted a loan move to Barrow, which he was granted. His departure affected the club and they fell out of the promotion race.

He returned after playing just once for Barrow, but never established himself again. He's now with Basford, two divisions below the National League.