Lincoln motivated by weight of history - Reach
Lincoln City last played in the second tier in 1960-61
- Published
The magnitude of returning Lincoln City to the second tier after more than six decades away is a challenge Imps players are embracing, says midfielder Adam Reach.
Lincoln leapfrogged Cardiff City and moved two points clear at the top of League One after beating the Bluebirds in the Welsh capital on Saturday.
The Imps can take another significant step towards automatic promotion to the Championship when they face Exeter City on Tuesday (19:45 GMT). Victory from their game in hand would move them 13 points clear of third place, and the play-off spots, with 10 games of the season to go.
Reach, who has made more than 500 appearances in a 15-year career spanning spells at Middlesbrough, Sheffield Wednesday and West Bromwich Albion, said Lincoln's push to reach the second division after 65 years "feels bigger and more special" than anything he has done in his career to date.
"It is bigger than us and bigger than the group," he told BBC Radio Lincolnshire.
"It's about getting Lincoln City back to the second tier, getting this city back to the Championship.
"It's been 60-plus years since it happened and we players feel that responsibility and also wear that responsibility with pride.
"We want to play whatever small part in what could be a historical moment for the club and city. And it's not that we need any extra motivation to do it, but it's certainly on our minds that we can be part of something really special this season."
Lincoln's win at Cardiff, which extended their unbeaten league run to 18 games, has Michael Skubala's Imps collecting points at a pace not seen at Lincoln for half-a-century.
The 74 points they have now is their biggest tally after 35 league games since 1975-76, when they had 79 (adjusted for three points for a win) on the way to winning the fourth division title under Graham Taylor.
With just three days between the game at Cardiff and their next match at Exeter, Reach says staying level-headed amid celebrations of going top has been important.
"It's another three points that if we don't pick them up it almost spoils the Cardiff game a little bit," he said.
"We are not looking too far ahead, but when you get to this point of the season you can start seeing on the horizon, League One champions and League One promotion.
"That's what we want to achieve and it's important as a group that we keep our feet on the ground."
