Do You Remember the First Time? Play-off semi-final memories.

Away goals counted double though and the last thing we needed was a Scunthorpe resurgence. From the Stacey West we couldn’t see exactly what happened in the mad two minutes that almost killed us off, but I remember the absolute heart break. At 4.28pm, City were 3-1 to the good. By 4.31pm, the tie was level and it seemed, all was lost.

Alex Calvo-Garcia smashed home from close range after a corner before Nathan Stanton slotted through the packed eighteen-yard area with the very next attack. Their fans went wild, Laws started celebrating like he’d won the tie already and sickness rose into my throat. We’d come so far, in twelve months we’d gone from administration to the brink of our first ever national cup final. Now, on our own patch, we were being turned over.

Cropper, not through lack of trying, was withdrawn on 73 minutes and Yeo came on. Anyone reading this now will as why Simon Yeo hadn’t played from the start, but in 2002/03 he wasn’t that prolific at all. He’d been without a goal for seven months and might have been heading for the exit door had he not fired us into the play offs. Keith was rolling the dice, throwing on the unknown quantity and hoping for a repeat of his heroics one week prior.

The game remained 3-3 for twelve minutes, twelve long, nail-biting minutes. They were happy with a draw, they’d be confident of a win at their place, or even a low-scoring draw. The emphasis was on us, the plucky underdogs.

I wasn’t worried about not going up. That sounds mad perhaps, but I never truly believed we were League One quality that afternoon. No, for me it was all about beating Brian Laws, that odious individual who threw plates of sandwiches at his own players and constantly made disparaging remarks about Keith and out side. I despised Laws, this long before we re-ignited our Grimsby rivalry. They were second-tier, as much of a threat to us as Birmingham City or Sunderland. Scunthorpe were our big rivals and I wanted us to win for that reason alone.

82 minutes, a shameless hoof over the top from Stuart Bimson saw Simon Yeo outpace two defenders before firing across the goal of Tom Evans and into the net at the Stacey West end of the ground, right in front of me. This season and last, I’ve often frozen when we’ve scored crucial goals, turning and surveying the mayhem and soaking up others joy. At 4.42pm, 15 years ago, I didn’t. I went mental.

If the fourth was a long ball, the fifth was sublime once again. It came from a long ball, of course, but a hooked cross towards Yeo saw him smash home a volley of Premier League quality. 5-3, game over.

I can’t describe that feeling to you. I don’t need to. Remember how you felt when we scored against Burnley last season? When the final whistle blew against Macclesfield last April? Yeah? That.

Laws, as magnanimous as ever, refused to shake Keith Alexander’s hand as he left the dug out. That is a measure of the man right there. Keith moves for the shake but Laws walks straight passed, doubtless angry at the state of the pitch, our tactics, anything that he could blame for his side being beaten by little old Lincoln. Still, he had the second leg at home, didn’t he?

Four days later Laws could have his chance, his super-slick passing side would have that Glumford Park carpet to pass around on and would surely be able to brush aside the vagabonds and chancers of Lincoln City, right?

Two shocking challenges should have seen the so-called artists reduced to nine men as they attempted to match our physicality by living outside the laws of the game. Today, they would have been sent off but even as recently as 15 years ago a studs-up challenge could command a yellow and little more. I’ve included the YouTube video of the game below, starting on 2.00. If that isn’t a red, I don’t know what is. Then, why not check out 3.50 onwards, for Steve Torpey’s elbow on Futcher? After all, I wouldn’t want history to have Laws down as anything more than a bad loser and a hypocrite.

Sure, Scunthorpe huffed and puffed, but they never looked like getting the two goals they needed to win the game. They tried to elbow us out of the tie, the tried to kick us out of the tie, but they did neither.

Instead, a wonderful Peter Gain pass picked out the man of the moment, Simon Yeo, and he strode forward before confidently finishing in front of the 2,000 travelling Imps fans.

There was that moment again, the one words can’t describe. Chant’s of ‘Yeo, Yeo’ rang out around Glumford as their fans streamed fir the exits. That was replaced with our version of Hey Jude, the first season we adopted that as out anthem but one we still sing today. We were 1-0 up in our bitter rivals back yard, 6-3 on aggregate and going to Cardiff. Just seconds later, Yeo should have made it 2-0 and 7-3, Scunthorpe all at sea as we piled on the pressure. Who cared though, we were in the play off final.

After the game Keith and Laws shook hands, but Laws wouldn’t let his issue slide. Simon Yeo gave a typical interview saying he was ‘just a happy lad who’ll talk to anyone’. He laughed off being labelled a cult hero, but fifteen years later that is exactly what he is. Fifteen years later I can name that sides, front to back, without taking a breath. They were my first true team of heroes, the first Lincoln City side to make a national stadium, the first since the GMVC years to truly bond with the fans on all levels.

John Beck got promoted and hated by his own fans at the same time, but nobody felt negative towards Keith Alexander. He started that season the cheap option manager with his bargain basket assortment of players, he concluded it having dragged us to the cusp of three seasons few of us will ever forget. Keith Alexander was the first Lincoln manager to get us into the play offs and now, fifteen years later, perhaps Danny and Nicky Cowley can find some luck as the third managers to achieve the same.

I’ll write about the finals if we get there this season, but tomorrow (or the next day depending on how much diazepam I get through) I’ll be looking at the next two semi-finals appearances.

Thank to Graham Burrell for the superb pictures