The match programme as was now usual showed a new cover design for the season and also a 50% price increase to 15p. We did get extra pages though, and once again the only advertisements – at least initially – were the two centre pages. An additional feature was a page devoted to the events of ‘25 Years Ago’ relating to the Imps and other footballing matters of the times. There was also a series of articles on football in general and a puzzle page. The first issue listed the teams in a 4-2-4 formation, but that was not to last, and there was also an error on the cover which showed this game a Division Three match.
It was then time for the first league game of the season which brought a trip to Bury who had finished two places above the Imps the previous season. Several changes were made to the side, with Phil Neale still missing, Dennis Leigh absent due to his wife giving birth and Dave Smith out due to an injury sustained at Mansfield. However, Terry Cooper was now fit to make his first appearance of the season and he partnered Mick Smith, with Dean Crombie at left back. Cooper’s return allowed Peter Graham to move forward into midfield with Phil Hubbard retaining his place up front. Young Alan Eden made his debut off the bench, coming on for Hubbard in what was a good performance by the Imps. However, they were kept at bay by home goalkeeper John Forrest, Dean Crombie hitting the post with the only shot to get past him. But the only goal of the game, scored by Bury winger Alan Woolfall early in the second half meant a losing start for City.
The first home league game of the season the following Wednesday night saw the attendance drop by two thousand from the previous week to just 3,723. This was the lowest figure for almost three years, as people were seemingly not impressed by the two-leg League Cup defeat of a Second Division club, nor the upheaval in the close season – although it’s fair to say heavy rain on the night would also have been a factor. Dennis Leigh was back in the side with Dean Crombie deployed in midfield as Dave Smith, Phil Neale and young reserve Jackie Gallagher were all injured. Peter Graham was now back in attack as Phil Hubbard dropped to the bench. City did at least gain their first point of the season after trailing by two goals with half an hour gone, the first of these coming from later Imps manager Alan Buckley, scoring from the second penalty given away by full back Brendan Guest in four games. However, John Ward headed in a Crombie corner just before the break and popped up with the equaliser five minutes from the end.
City were at home again just two nights later with their first Friday night game of the season and the attendance was up by almost a thousand for the visit of Shrewsbury Town – I can’t remember, but perhaps it was better weather!
With Phil Neale, now with a plaster cast on his finger, still absent Dennis Leigh moved over to the right in place of Brendan Guest who had suffered a knee injury against Walsall. Dean Crombie reverted to left back with John Fleming moving to the centre of midfield and Phil Hubbard back in the starting line-up on the right. Glenn Cockerill, the day after his 18th birthday, made his first appearance of the season, coming off the subs’ bench in place of Graham in the second half. By then City were 2-1 down despite John Ward heading them in front after 16 minutes. However, the visitors’ equaliser came seconds later and mistakes at the back saw them go in front just after the break and make it 3-1 late on to wrap up the scoring.
The Second Round of the League Cup saw another game against a Second Division club with a visit to Burnden Park to play a Bolton Wanderers side that had been beaten semi-finalists in the competition the previous season. Mick Smith had drawn some criticism from supporters after the defeat by Shrewsbury, but his absence from this match was due to a training injury. With Phil Neale still missing and Brendan Guest only on the bench Ian Branfoot made a surprise return, playing in his familiar right back position as Kerr fielded his favoured Cooper and Crombie partnership for the first time. The side was otherwise unchanged, and with John Fleming giving what Echo reporter Maurice Burton rated as probably his best-ever display in a City shirt the Imps dominated the game but without being able to find a response to the deflected third minute goal that won the match for Bolton. What was to have serious consequences for both club and player, however, came in the eighth minute of the match when John Ward suffered a knee ligament injury in a collision with Bolton goalkeeper Jim McDonagh. He was stretchered off but returned after a few minutes to hobble on until half time when he had to be replaced by Guest.
The injury to Ward came at a bad time for City as before it happened, he was the top scorer with four goals in six matches, and although at first not thought to be too severe it turned out that apart from a couple of brief appearances, he would miss the rest of the season.
Part Two Tomorrow
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