Ron Fowler drawn to Lincoln City by ‘David and Goliath’ spirit as takeover looms

Lincoln City could be set for a major change at the top, with American businessman Ron Fowler saying the club’s “David and Goliath” appeal is a big reason behind his desire to take control at Sincil Bank. The 81-year-old, a former executive chairman and co-owner of Major League Baseball side the San Diego Padres, is poised to take a controlling stake in the League One promotion chasers and become chairman. For Imps supporters across Lincoln and the wider county, the timing is hard to ignore. City currently sit second in League One and are well placed in the race for one of the two automatic promotion spots — a route back to the Championship, a level the club has not played at for 65 years. Fowler pointed to the scale of the challenge Lincoln face in a division where several rivals have enjoyed recent Premier League football. “Four of the teams in the top seven alongside Lincoln have played in the Premier League in the past 15 years — a timeframe during which the Imps played non-league football,” he said. Speaking to BBC Radio Lincolnshire, Fowler said: “This David and Goliath mentality that exists here with the community and the team is fun. “You can't compete with the big dogs by doing things the way they do it. You have to come up with a different way of doing it. “The expression I've used for years is ‘keep on changing the game until you find one you can win’. “And we are not coming in to do that — they are two-thirds the way through the process and we will just allow them to complete it.” The prospective takeover will be closely watched by fans across Lincolnshire, with many keen to see whether fresh investment can help Lincoln City sustain their push for promotion while keeping the community-first identity that has defined the club’s rise in recent years.

This story was adapted by The Lincoln Post from original reporting by www.bbc.com.