Lincoln City chairman who was Imps ‘through and through’

Former Lincoln City chairman and life-long fan John Reames died on 6 May, 2008, aged 65, after losing his battle against cancer.

Mr Reames was the club's longest serving chairman and also managed the club for two seasons.

Mr Reames was appointed Imps chairman in March 1985 and held that position until his resignation in November 2000.

He took over first team affairs in 1998 and continued in that role until the end of the 1999/2000 season.

Current City chairman Steff Wright paid tribute to his predecessor: "John was so passionate about Lincoln City Football Club it was untrue.

"He may have had his critics, particularly when he took over as manager, but during his time as dhairman, Lincoln City Football Club made great strides forward and that passion was evident throughout.

"When we took over the reins from John it was evident that he had the interests of Lincoln City Football Club at heart and his passion for the Imps remained obvious in the fact that he continued to attend games regularly both at home and away.

"I had the pleasure of inviting him into the boardroom for a match just before Christmas and I was pleased to see him at the recent Murphy's Mission Dinner, although at the same time it was very sad to see how his health had declined so rapidly.

"John was Lincoln City Football Club through and through and will be sadly missed by us all."