Freddie Draper cannot wait to finally experience Championship football at the ProAmpac Stadium.
After a 65-year wait, City will play their first home Championship fixture on Saturday when they welcome Portsmouth to Lincoln, with a limited number of tickets remaining.
The excitement around the club has been building since promotion was secured last season, and that anticipation has only grown following two sold-out away ends at Derby County and Middlesbrough to begin the campaign.
For Draper, who has spent his entire professional career with the Imps, Saturday represents another landmark moment in his journey with the club.
He said: “Everyone in the building is buzzing for Saturday. We’ve not been to the stadium yet but there’s been a lot of work being done, so we’re really excited to see that.”
“But more importantly, the home fans - I can’t wait. It's been 65 years since the last home game in the Championship, so I can imagine it’s going to be some atmosphere. I can’t wait and I’m really looking forward to it.
“We deserve to be here, we deserve to play against these teams and show what we’ve got.
“We’re a very good team and I know we’re going to cause problems for a lot of teams and hopefully we get the three points on Saturday.”
Draper has already experienced the travelling support at the start of the new campaign, with City fans filling their allocations at both Derby and Middlesbrough.
The striker was full of praise for the supporters and believes their backing can make a difference when they finally get to see Championship football on home soil.
“They were brilliant against Derby, and against Middlesbrough - you could hear them all game. I think they made those stadiums much louder - we know how good we are and how good the fans are at home. I can’t wait to hear them all game."
The start of the Championship era comes at an important point in Draper’s own City story.
The 22-year-old recently committed his future to the club by signing a new contract until 2030, extending a relationship which began when he joined the Imps as a teenager.
Draper has now made 115 appearances for City since signing his first professional contract at the age of 17, with loan spells and multiple contracts forming part of his journey to becoming an established first-team player.
He continued: “I was buzzing to sign a new deal. I’m grateful for the faith the club have in me and when I heard that it was getting sorted, I was delighted. It’s going to be my sixth season so I can’t wait and now we’re playing Championship football - it’s a great feeling.
“It really feels like home now. I just want to repay the faith the club have in me, especially on the big stage in Championship - there’s no bigger test.
“I was 17 when I made my debut here and still being here at 22, I’ve had a few contracts now and been out on loan. It’s now my time to repay the faith the club have in me.”
The new deal means Draper will continue his development at the club as City take their place in the second tier for the first time since 1961 and while the challenge is new, the striker feels the foundations laid by the club over recent years have prepared the squad for the step up.
Draper is also relishing the opportunity to work under new head coaches Chris Cohen and Tom Shaw, who stepped up into the roles over the summer after playing a pivotal role in City's promotion as assistant head coaches.
The pair have already made an impression on the 22-year-old, with Shaw in particular someone Draper has known since his time at Derby County and throughout his development in the Imps Academy.
“I was really pleased with them. They did a lot of work last year when we went up that went under the radar.
“I’ve worked with Tom since I was at Derby so we’ve got a really good relationship, I’m really pleased with him.”
Draper has also been impressed by Cohen since his arrival and believes the work being put in away from matchdays will become increasingly evident as the season progresses.
“Chris has been brilliant since he’s come into the building so it’s really exciting and the work we do away from the pitch and out on the training pitch will show.”
That relationship between the coaching staff and the squad has already begun to take shape, with Draper highlighting the standards being demanded on a daily basis.
“Everyone knows what Chris and Tom want to do and the standards they have. I think going into the season so far, it shows that we just want to work hard for them.
“Now it’s coming together a bit more and it’s shown how well we work as a team, how well we listen and work for them.”
