LINCOLN City have broken into unchartered territory as fans and local businesses teamed up to buy out former chairman John Reames and take control of the crisis-hit Third Division club.

Imps chairman Rob Bradley spearheaded the Community Ownership Package, which pledges to offer people providing investment with ''significant'' roles in the club.

Life-long fan Bradley and the new board are convinced the deal can sow the seeds for a rosy future for City who are just one point off 92nd place in the Football League and believed to be up to £1.5million in the red.

The announcement comes three months after long-serving Reames stood down and put his £400,000 stock of shares up for sale to encourage fresh investment after years spent lurching from one financial crisis to the next.

Cash injections were not forthcoming despite repeated appeals from Reames, who was criticised by fans but in reality played the major role in keeping the club afloat through the 1980s and 90s.

Bradley and director Jim Hicks are joined on the new board by building firm owner Stephen Wright, former tyre business owner Keith Roe and Kevin Cooke, representing Lincoln Co-op, which is also involved in the takeover package.

After months of behind-the-scenes activity there appears to be real hope for Lincoln's future although Bradley acknowledges there is still a mountain of hard work ahead.

He said: ''Lincoln City is now a community club, owned and run by its supporters. This is an historic day for the club and a significant day for football in general.

''The whole thrust of the bid has come through the love of this club by its supporters.

''This is only the beginning of a process. We want to attract more investment from the local business community and we want supporters to raise funds too. Those who do will be invited to play a significant part in the running of the club in return.''

Bradley also took a swipe at critics that did not believe community packages similar to the one the saved Bournemouth in 1997 were feasible.

He added: ''People have scoffed at the thought of a club being owned by its supporters. Local people stood firm in their belief that this club is worth investing in.''

l Ian Nolan is to sue Justin Edinburgh three years after a challenge which fractured the right leg of the 30-year-old in two places. The incident took place on February 21, 1998, during a Premiership game when Nolan was playing for Sheffield Wednesday and Edinburgh was with Tottenham.

The 36th minute tackle at Hillsborough led to Nolan spending 18 months on the sidelines, missing the entire 1998-99 season in the process and harming his international prospects with Northern Ireland.

Nolan, who joined Bradford from Wednesday last summer, yesterday confirmed he was taking action against Edinburgh, who now plays for First Division Portsmouth.

The right-back has employed the solicitors who helped Gordon Watson, the former Bradford striker, to be awarded almost £1million in damages after winning a High Court claim for negligence in October 1998 against Huddersfield defender Kevin Gray