By Nathan Jackson
December 28 2009

Simon Yeo holds the record for the most substitute appearances for the club, most of which came in the 2003/4 and 2003/4 seasons. Yeo was the top goalscorer for the Imps during the last ten years with one of the highest goals:games ratios out of anyone to have appeared at the club in that time.  

One of the Keith Alexander's first signings during his second spell at Sincil Bank, Simon Yeo went on to score the most goals out of any Imps striker that the club saw over the last ten years, scoring his 51^st and final goal in a 2-2 draw with Rushden in March 2006.

Yeo's debut came at Kidderminster Harriers and it was a quiet debut with only a yellow card seeing him do anything of note, but his Sincil Bank debut saw his first goal. Rochdale were the visitors and he hit a shot from the corner of the box that concaved into the net via the back post. Infact, he had an eventful opening two months with the Imps as he was sent off against Boston United before getting a brace against Macclesfield two days later. A goal against Southend on September 21^st comfortably saw him at the top of the scoring charts, but that would turn out to be his last League goal until May.

Yeo remained as first choice striker for the Imps but struggled to even get shots on target, let alone score goals and he was quickly and justifiably dropped from the first team, replaced mainly be loan signings such as Shayne Bradley and Steve Watts. It wasn't long before was dropped altogether and he spent a full month without making an appearance, not even from the bench. However, a home game with Torquay changed Yeo's City career.

City were losing 1-0 thanks to a mistake from Paul Morgan and Alan Marriott allowing Martin Gritton to tap home from mere centimetres. Torquay had also missed a penalty on a day that City desperately needed to avoid defeat from as it would guarantee a spot in the Playoffs. However, with the Imps losing, it mean either Oxford or York could still make the Playoffs instead of City, with Oxford beating the Minstermen at the Kassam.

Yeo had wasted one or two chances during the match but four minutes from time came probably the loudest cheer heard at Sincil Bank this decade. Richard Butcher pumped the ball forward and Yeo swung his foot at the ball and via a slight deflection off of Ruben Hazell, the ball sailed into the net and the striker did what was effectively a lap of honour. He would score three times in a 6-3 aggregate Playoff win over Scunthorpe, but failed to find the net after coming off the bench against Bournemouth in the Playoff final.

Yeo quickly went back to what appeared to be par-for-the-course as he got sent off against Oxford on the first day of the season, then going without scoring until his 12^th goal of the 2003/4 season, a goal that made it 3-1 against Huddersfield. A mini-scoring run saw his reputation slightly increase before a 13 game run without a goal. Yeo finished the 2003/4 with the same inconsistency that had plagued his first two years at Sincil Bank.

The next season started off slowly with only one goal in the first ten games, a simply tap in against Derby County. However, he would soon start scoring again in the League and hit a beautiful curling shot against Mansfield Town before a poachers goal against Kidderminster. 2004 finished with yet more inconsistent form, but 2005 was to be a great year for Yeo on the pitch.

He scored the winner against Chester in the first away game of 2005 and just under three weeks later and the Imps had an away game at Grimsby Town and the striker had given City a two goal lead before the hosts hit back twice in six minutes. However, with a minute Simon Yeo had put City back in front, converting Taylor-Fletcher's cross for the first City hat-trick in the League since 1997.

This would become the first time Yeo would have a truly consistent spell of scoring in his City career and he would score in each of his next six games, hitting seven goals in the time. Infact, a goal after just 28 seconds against Scunthorpe meant that Yeo had failed to score in just three games between January and April 2005. However, that Scunthorpe goal would turn out to be his last at Sincil Bank in this spell at Sincil Bank and he announced after the 2005 Playoff Final that he had already agreed to join the New Zealand Nights several weeks before.

He found form for them on the pitch, but failed to settle of the pitch and made a return to Sincil Bank for the New Year. He failed to score in his first game back against Mansfield, but then hit four goals in his next four games, although one goal was immediately followed by a sending off for over-celebrating. He soon scored that goal against Rushden and that would be the last time he would score for the Imps.

He has since played for Peterborough, Chester and Bury, continuing his par-for-the-course of scoring runs of barren spells in equal amounts, but he never replicated that three month spell where he failed to score in all but three games.

Yeo can now be found at some home games in the Stacey West stand.

IMAGE SOURCES : Yeo in the crowd (taken by Nathan Jackson), Yeo celebrating a goal (Empics)

Top 20 Players : 2nd - Simon Yeo

Discussion started by theimps.tk (IP Logged), 28/12/2009 19:38

theimps.tk
28/12/2009 19:38

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davidimp
28/12/2009 20:01

I take it as Yeo is 2nd that my favourite Imp Ian Hamilton has won this?

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