Many people wouldn't have expected to see Lincoln City competing up near the top of the League One standings at this point in the campaign, with the Imps having been a surprise package this term. 

Michael Appleton has once again shown that he can get the best out of his players and has performed miracles since taking charge at Sincil Bank back in 2019.

With roughly 10 games left to play, the club are now in a commanding position in fourth place at the time of writing and could well go on to secure what would be an unexpected promotion to the Sky Bet Championship in the months ahead.

The Imps have come a long way and were a National League side just a few years ago, underlining how much they have progressed since then.

Here, we have put together a list of the top 10 oldest players to ever feature for Lincoln City with help from Transfermarkt.

A former striker, Horsfield had been around the block before arriving at Sincil Bank during the 2008/09 campaign and as a result only went on to play 17 league games for the Imps before departing for Port Vale. Best known for his goalscoring exploits at former clubs Birmingham City and Halifax Town, the Barnsley born forward netted over 100 goals during his career and as a result developed a good reputation for making an impact wherever his career took him. The 47-year-old also has minimalistic experience of management, having taken on the role of caretaker boss during his time at Vale Park.

An experienced defender at Football League level, McCombe took in four years as a Lincoln City player during his second stint but was only afforded 15 league appearances during his time at Sincil Bank. Better known for his previous spell with the club during the early 2000s and a long run of games for Bristol City, the defender has bounced between the divisions throughout his lengthy career and now seems set to take up a coaching role on a full time basis. His only previous experience of management came with the Imps as he took over as caretaker following the departure of Danny Cowley to Huddersfield Town.

Pearce played a part in just 14 league games for the Imps during the 2009/10 season in what was a short lived spell at Sincil Bank before he then departed to join Kingstonian in the 2011/12 campaign as he looked to see out his career closer to home. Better known for his earlier career spells with the likes of Blackburn Rovers, West Ham United and Fulham, the defender was once capped at England youth level and was tipped to have a bright future in the game. During the latter stages of his career, Pearce played as an attacking midfielder and as a striker.

A player who has been around the block at Football League level, Shackell arrived at Sincil Bank back in 2018 and went on to make 60 league appearances for the Imps before departing last year. Best known for his spells with Norwich City and Burnley, the defender has turned out for numerous clubs throughout his career including the likes of Derby County, Barnsley and Wolves, thus seeing him make hundreds of league appearances. The centre back is currently without a club and could well be considering whether now is the time to retire or not at the age of 37.

A player who spent two separate spells with the Imps, Nicholson was a left back by trade who played over 500 league games throughout his career. During his first stint at Sincil Bank, the Newark-on-Trent born defender made a total of 133 league appearances for the club over a six year period before departing for Derby County in 1992. He would then go on to take in a long spell at Pride Park before heading to the likes of West Brom, Sheffield United and Tranmere Rovers among others before returning to Lincoln in the 2006/07 campaign. He retired from playing in 2007.

One of the most experienced keepers currently operating at Football League level, Gilks is currently plying his trade for Bolton Wanderers in Sky Bet League Two at the age of 38. He previously turned out for the Imps during a short spell back in 2019 and made a total of just 12 league appearances before departing for Fleetwood Town. Best known for his spells at Blackpool and Rochdale, the town of his birth, Gilks has three Scotland caps to his name and has played at various levels of the English football pyramid during his lengthy career to date. He will be looking to help the Totters achieve promotion this term.

A striker who only played 13 league games during his time at Sincil Bank, Torpey was best known for his prolific spells at both Swansea City and Scunthorpe United and went on to notch up over 100 goals during his playing career for a wide array of clubs at Football League level. He also ventured into management following his retirement, taking in two spells as caretaker boss at his former club York City during 2010 and 2014. Born in Islington, the striker originally started his career at Millwall before making his first move north to play for Bradford City for the best part of three years.

Preece spent two spells at Sincil Bank but only made a total of nine league appearances for the club in what was a short lived association with the Imps before he departed for the final time back in 2016. He played the majority of his career for three clubs, with stints for Darlington, Aberdeen and Silkeborg IF forming the best spells of his time as a professional before he then went on to turn out for Barnsley, Lincoln and Keflavík. Upon resigning for the Imps in 2013, Preece became the club's then goalkeeper coach before departing some three years later.

A defender who played the vast majority of his career at the top level for the likes of Chelsea and Leicester City, Sinclair previously took in a spell with the Imps back in the 2008/09 season and went on to make 23 league appearances for the club before departing for Wrexham. Since hanging up his boots, the former Jamaican international has gone on to manage Colwyn Bay, Brackley and Hednesford Town. In all, Sinclair played over 600 league games throughout his career and is fondly remembered by supporters of his former sides and is now part of Stoke City's youth set up.

Number one in our list of the oldest players to play for Lincoln is goalkeeper Paul Musselwhite, who turned out for the Imps on just one single occasion during a two year spell at Sincil Bank. His sole game for the club came as part of his role as a player-coach and eventually lead to his appointment as caretaker boss following Chris Sutton's resignation. He is currently the goalkeeper coach at Scunthorpe United under manager Neil Cox and as a result is no longer playing football. Originally born in Portsmouth, Musselwhite played over 600 league games during his career and is widely respected.