
I’ve been clearing out an old laptop today and found a few articles and bits I wrote over the last decade and a half, so I’ll be uploading them here as and when the time seems right.
To get us kicked off, here’s an article I wrote in 2004, doubtless for Deranged Ferret when Shane Clarke was the editor but perhaps never submitted. Seems I was a moaning sod then too!
Once again City players were blatantly snubbed by their peers at the annual PFA players awards ceremony in London this week, with the whole winning side coming from just FOUR teams in our division, namely Swansea, Southend, Scunthorpe and Yeovil. For a second year running players like Chris Weale and Andy Crosby are in the squad whilst players like Alan Marriott and Paul Morgan are overlooked!
The Imps players allegedly knew the outcome wouldn’t favour them so they registered votes only for ex City players… and managed to get nobody into the side. The side read as follows:
Chris Weale (Yeovil), Sam Ricketts (Swansea), Adam Barrett (Southend), Andy Crosby (Scunthorpe), Michael Rose (Yeovil), Lee Johnson (Yeovil), Darren Way (Yeovil), Kevin Maher (Southend), Peter Beagrie (Scunthorpe), Phil Jevons (Yeovil), Lee Trundle (Swansea)
It seems sad only the top four teams efforts have been recognised whilst the endeavour of teams like City goes largely unrecognised. As mentioned on this site before Mazza, Morgs and Gainy have all performed consistently and impressively against a whole host of the players on display in the ‘Team of the Season’.
It also beggars belief that everyone’s favourite OAP Peter Beagrie has made the side again despite a largely lack lustre season. This could have something to do with the awards being voted on in December before the cold weather began playing Beagrie’s hip up! It is even more startling when you remember Beagrie plays up front on the left, the same position as Imps’ striker Simon Yeo who should have been a sure-fire contender.
Elsewhere in the division players like Mark Bailey will also be aggravated at not making the side. Bailey has once again been a brilliant performer on the right for Macclesfield and for a second year running should have made the grade. John Finnigan has pulled the strings in a mediocre Cheltenham side but for me out punched the likes of Darren Wray and Kevin Maher.
Although most of the football world will recognise these awards mean very little having been voted on before half the season is up, but the fact City players have been omitted once again is a travesty and something League Two footballers should be ashamed of. Lincoln may not be the most popular side in the league but other sides don’t seem to be able to acknowledge a skilled and efficient unit that wins games and consistently achieves top seven finishes (touch wood).
If only more footballers thought like Garry Birtles and Peter Taylor, two professionals who were only too happy to endorse Lincoln as ambassadors of lower league football.
The date on that is April 2005, just a couple of weeks before arguably the finest Imps’ side of a generation failed to beat Southend and Kevin Maher in the play-off final. As for the top seven finishes, two more were to come before years of decline, arrested only by the arrival of DC in 2016.