Lincoln City manager Danny Cowley hopes putting pen-to-paper on a new deal will end speculation linking him with a move away from Sincil Bank.

The Imps boss, along with his brother and assistant boss Nicky, is among the bookmakers’ favourites to succeed Mick McCarthy at Ipswich Town having also linked with the Barnsley and Southend jobs earlier this season.

Their current contracts – signed in January last year – are set to expire in 2021. And both Cowley and director Clive Nates have confirmed that new deals are close to being signed.

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With Lincoln currently just outside of the League Two play-off places, having recently won the Checkatrade Trophy with an underdog triumph against League One promotion-chasing Shrewsbury at Wembley, Cowley told the Lincolnshire Echo: “That (staying) has always been the plan. I keep saying it but no-one seems to listen.

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“As I’ve said before, when you’re enjoying it, learning every day and feel valued, I don’t see the need to move away from that pathway.

“I’m just focused on the team. I won’t allow it (speculation) to affect my focus because I know if it does then the results suffer.

“So you’ll have to trust me and trust what I’m saying and allow us to do what we need to do.”

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The Cowleys, both former school teachers in Rayleigh, have been on a remarkable journey.

After taking Concord Rangers on a rapid rise through the non-league pyramid they guided Braintree Town to an unlikely third-place finish in the National League in 2015/16 before moving on to Lincoln.

There they have guided the Imps back into the Football League and have them vying for back-to-back promotions into the third-tier.

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“The last 20 months we’ve had have been a football miracle, but it’s not a nine to five job,” said Cowley. “You’ve got to turn up day in, day out, game in, game out and be relentless.

“There’ll be no passengers where I’m going. We need everybody firing and everybody contributing.”

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Cowley added the club’s burgeoning fanbase is a factor in his decision to commit his future to the club, saying: “Their support has been magnificent, both for the football club and for the city. It’s a special place and we have the potential to have really special times.”