By theimps.tk
May 8 2006

Lincoln City's playoffs game against Grimsby Town will remind fans of one of the best games in Sincil Bank history. In 2002/3, City played Scunthorpe at the same stage and in an enthralling game, City won 5-3 and had several goals disallowed in and few will ever forget this game.

SATURDAY 10TH MAY 2003

In a similar way to this season, the Imps secured their playoff place with 1-1 draw after needing just a point to qualify for the playoffs. It had been a great season for the Imps as a bunch of non-league players came and did better that players who had played a lot higher level. Names like Simon Weaver, Ben Futcher, Richard Butcher and Simon Yeo, as well as several others will go down as possible the best TEAM in the club's history. Individually we had arguably one of the weaker squads in the division whilst most teams had better individuals, no-one could match our TEAM.

So City's first ever playoff came round and a packed house saw the Imps take on local rivals, Scunthorpe United, a team that City had taken 4 points off during the season and failed to conceed again.

City started the game but Andy Dawson had the first chance of the game when his shot tested Marriott from the edge of the box. In return, Bailey ran at Dawson and won the first corner of the game but Tom Evans claimed well from Simon Weaver's challenge. Paul Mayo, Peter Gain and Dene Cropper linked up well down the left with Gain testing Evans but the keeper made a good save.

On the quarter hour mark, Paul Smith ran down the wing and won a free kick for obstruction despite appearing to just stop and give up on the ball. Stuart Bimson stepped up in what would turn out to be his final home game for the Imps and he swung the ball in, it went over everyone and found Weaver at the backpost. The defender was completely unmarked and had a simple challenge of heading into a relatively easy goal.

Within 3 minutes, City had the ball up that end of the pitch again and after a nervous clearance, the ball fell to Richard Butcher around 25 yards out, he hooked the ball back into the box where Paul Mayo was waiting. The defender produced a superb volley and scored his first ever goal for the Imps and the Imps were 2-0 up with less than 20 minutes played.

Future Imp, Martin Carruthers picked up his first booking when he was late to challenge Mayo for the ball. However, after 26 minutes, Scunthorpe won a corner despite the ball appearing to come off an Iron defender last. "Mr Smug" Peter Beagrie hooked the ball in and Alex Calvo-Garcia turned and shot. Mark Bailey appeared to clear the ball but it was ajudged to go over the line and all of a sudden, Scunthorpe were right back in the hunt.

Paul Mayo, naturally a left back was pushed furthur up field and won a throw in after half an hour. Bimson took the throw and it resulted in a corner. Richard Butcher headed home from Bimson's delivery but the goal was ruled out for offside. Paul Hayes' low effort test Marriott before Greg Strong required medical attention in the centre circle.

Ben Futcher was booked for the Imps for persistant fouling. Less than prolific striker, Dene Cropper won the Imps a corner but Bimson's delivery was claimed easily by Evans. Carruthers tried a very speculative effort from 25 yards but it was easily saved by Marriott. Bimson and Calvo-Garcia were then booked for their involvement in an off the ball incident and that turned out to be the last moment in what had been an eventful half.

Scunthorpe broke quickly in the second half and Alan Marriott did well to prevent Alex Calvo-Garcia a good goal. Dene Cropper tried his lucky with an acrobatic effort but you never fancied a 3-goal-a-season to score a goal like that. Hayes again troubled Marriott with a low drive but it came to nothing. The ball eventually found it's way to the other end of the field. Paul Mayo produced great play to put Dene Cropper through on the left, the former Worksop striker beat several defenders before playing the ball square to Paul Smith who had the simple task of putting the ball into an empty net and it was 3-1 to the Imps.

City found the net again within 2 minutes but Mayo's open goal volley was ruled out as Paul Smith had fouled Evans but the Imps were in full control of the game. Steve Torpey and Paul Dalglish came on for Carruthers and Matt Sparrow. Beagrie was booked for the visitors after he fouled Weaver. Beagrie however did have a key hand in Scunthorpe getting back into the game when he corner found it's way to Calvo-Garcia, after a moments hesitation as Marriott got stuck in the mud, the Spaniard who scored a winning goal in a playoff final, made it 3-2 with just over half an hour to go.

City needed to avoid doing anything stupid and just slow the game however, less than one minute later, Hayes played in Nathan Stanton and the right back who had never scored for Scunthorpe before, sent in a great shot from the edge of the area and it was 3-3 to Scunthorpe and all of a sudden, the Imps fans were silent for the first time in the match.

Then enter Simon Yeo for Dene Cropper. Yeo had scored just 5 league goals for the Imps that season but the most vital one of those came in the final game of the season when he (with the help of a massive deflection) scored from 20something yards to secure the Imps' playoff place in the 1-1 draw with Torquay. Torpey was booked for desent. Just minutes later, Scunthorpe should have been ahead but Calvo-Garcia could only head Andy Dawson's pinpoint cross into the goal.

However, in a defence position, Stuart Bimson booted the ball high into the area and Simon Yeo latched onto the shot and scored a beautiful volley into the bottom corner of the goal to put the Imps back in the lead with an excellent finish and all of a sudden, it was 4-3 and the Imps were back on top.

Stanton was booked for Scunthorpe before Scott Willis came on for Peter Gain. Yeo soon joined a host of players in the book when he got a yellow card for dissent. City won a throw in on the left. Bimson played to Butcher who's intelligent player saw him chip the ball into the area and Yeo was there with another spectacular volley to make it 2 for him, 5 for the Imps and one foot firmly in the Millennium Stadium.

That was the final action of a game that will more than likely go down as one of the greatest in Sincil Bank History.