Taking a break from the ‘On This Day’ series, mainly because it was a 0-0 with Maidstone, we look ahead to the celebration of Lincoln City’s magnificent Division Four title-winning side of 1976.
With a special commemorative kit already on the shelves and set to be worn this afternoon, and those who were involved in that side 50 years ago being welcomed to the LNER Stadium this afternoon, it is the perfect excuse to discuss that side.
Lincoln City Record Breakers
First and foremost, Graham Taylor was England manager just 14 years after winning Division Four with Lincoln City. For someone born well after his time at Sincil Bank, it is unclear to me whether that fact gets enough credit. Regardless of his record in charge of the national side, going from Lincoln to the biggest job in football is astronomical.
Having finished fifth at the end of the 1974-75 season and missing out on promotion thanks to goal average, Taylor’s Lincoln came back to set a Football League record for points gained in a single season. The Imps racked up an impressive 74 points, which equates to 106 when using the current three-point system for a win.
Not only did they amass that huge number of points, a record that went unmatched until Reading in 2006 and was only beaten by Birmingham City last season, but the Imps also equalled a record for home wins with 21, a new record for wins with 32 and suffered the fewest defeats, losing just four times, by any team in Division Four history.
For years, in the minds of those of this generation, Taylor’s team were the benchmark of the club for what they achieved during the 1975-76 campaign.
A Team Packed With Legends
Alongside Taylor, this squad was packed with players who gained legendary and iconic status at the club, including top scorer John Ward, Percy Freeman and penalty-taking defender Sam Ellis.
Goalkeeper Peter Grotier was signed thanks to the fans raising the £20,000 transfer fee demanded by West Ham United, and would go on to serve the club magnificently before departing to Cardiff City.
Grotier made over 230 appearances for the Imps, including a remarkable run of 134 consecutive outings and earned his place in the Division Four Team of the Season on two occasions.
Then there was the multi-talented Phil Neale, who not only played a key role in the 1976 side and would still be at the club to taste promotion again in 1981, but also has two County Championships to his name as captain of Worcestershire, as well as a degree in Russian!
One of the biggest names to come from that team, certainly in my household, listening to stories from the ‘old days’ was Percy Freeman. Apparently, he could walk on water and was a brilliant goalscorer for the club and a key member of that record-breaking team.
John Ward scored 29 of his 90 goals for the club during the title-winning season before going on to gain promotions as a manager of teams like York City and Bristol City.
Lincoln City could not have hoped for a better season to celebrate 50 years since their record-breaking team of 1975-76, and it promises to be a wonderful afternoon.
Grotier, Ellis and Neale will be joined by the likes of Ian Branfoot, Welsh international Dick Krzywicki, Terry Cooper and Dennis Booth.
The club’s website labels the 1975-76 season ‘… by far the most successful season in the Club’s Football League history’ and, in terms of records, it probably is, but winning promotion to the Championship will surely rank as the club’s greatest achievement.
In 50 years, Michael Skubala and his team will be talked about by this generation of supporters like Taylor’s side are by the generation before mine.