The Pride of Lincolnshire

League Position

There’s no denying this I’m afraid – Grimsby are more successful than us in terms of trophies, and promotions. They have enjoyed 14 promotions in their history, 16 relegations, but have banked 12 seasons in the top flight, as well as 52 in the second division. You can’t argue with that, it is good history.

I’m going to omit Boston from this bit, for obvious reasons, but Scunthorpe might want to claim they’re the PoL based on recent history alone. In the past 20 years, The Iron have spent 13 outside the basement division, including three years in the Championship. Over the course of their history, they have nine years in the second tier, one stint between 1958 and 1964, and three years between 2007 and 2011. They have enjoyed eight promotions and nine relegations.

As for us, like Scunthorpe we have no history in the top tier, but we do have some years in the Second Division, 34 in fact, although all of those came before 1961, with 24 coming before the Second World War. I can’t really claim to be the PoL based on recent FA Cup runs, then deny Scunthorpe and Grimsby the same battle in the league, can I?

What I would say is that league position is fluid. Right now, we are the PoL, but what about two years’ time, or ten? It’s probably fair to say nobody is the definitive PoL, whatever we might chant at games (when we’re in the same division of course which we’re not).

2004/05

16 years ago, there was a unique, once-in-a-lifetime occurrence that pitched four Lincolnshire clubs against each other in the Football League. It hasn’t happened before in modern times and almost certainly won’t happen again for a while, so could we derive a PoL of sorts from this? Why not, eh?

If we were to take straight out league positions, Scunthorpe were the overall winners. Despite us looking to reel them in as the season reached a climax, they held on for second place, earning promotion out of the basement division. They used it as a platform for success, later appearing for three seasons in the Championship, winning League One in 2007. We were next coming sixth in the table, eight points shy of The Iron, with Boston 16^th on 58 pointed and Grimsby 18^th on 58 with an inferior goal difference. Were the Iron PoL that season?

Maybe not. I decided to take the four teams results against each other and produce the table below, to show what the outcome would have been had we been in a mini group on our own.

The Imps were, on reflection, the PoL that time, losing only once against other teams from the county. That was in the first derby of the season, away at Scunthorpe when last minutes goals by Ben Futcher and Andy Butler took the score from 2-1 to 3-2 very quickly. Big away wins at Grimsby (4-2) and Boston (2-0) helped cement our position as the top team in the county, although we only won once at home, that coming live on Sky as we beat Scunthorpe 2-0 late on.

See, the data can be made to fit any argument, can’t it?

Overall Records

Taking the three teams now, Scunthorpe, Grimsby and us, who has the best overall record in matches?

Scunthorpe and Grimsby have met on 60 occasions, with the Mariners winning 27, the Iron 16 and 17 draws. They have only met six times in the league since 1990, with Scunthorpe winning three, Grimsby two and one draw. The most recent game between the two ended 3-0 to Scunthorpe, plunging Grimsby into the relegation mire.

Ourselves and Scunthorpe have met on 72 occasions, although not in the league since that 2-0 win back in 2004. The Iron have won 24 of our fixtures, with 20 draws and, thankfully, 28 wins to us. If we’re taking the overall record as the indication who the real PoL is, then I’m afraid the Iron have just been eliminated.

In truth, the title was first contested way back when Jack the Ripper was still just a troubled but innocent man with a worrying knife obsession, and it continues to this day. The Lincolnshire Derby, which is Lincoln and Grimsby, has been played 113 times, and I’m afraid it is not favourable for us. We have won 32 times; 33 matches have been drawn and the Cods have won 48 times.

Does that make them the PoL? Maybe, but good luck telling them that as they travel to Carlisle with ten defeats in 13, five points adrift at the bottom of the table.

Conclusion

What is a derby, and what does it mean? Honestly, who cares about being the Pride of Lincolnshire, when you’re battling to be Pride of League One and your county rivals are scabbling not to be forced into a trip to Solihull Moors next season? Does it really matter at all?

Some would say yes, absolutely. I’ve seen plenty of people using Grimsby’s plight as solace when we slip up this season. I confess, I look at their results but not because I want them to go down. I’m a bit soft you see, I know lots of Grimsby fans and if they finished 22^nd every year in League Two, I’d be happy. I don’t want them to succeed, but I do want them there, to add context and gravity to our achievements. I sometimes speak to my mate Pete, the Man Utd fan, about Liverpool, and I genuinely think he’d be delighted if they went out of business, his Saturday can be salvaged if United lose by a Liverpool defeat. Me, I couldn’t get happy about Grimsby losing if we lost to Ipswich tonight, because my love for my club far outstrips any negative feelings I have for others. In fact, I feel happier when I see Forest Green have lost.

The Lincolnshire rivalry is all contextual. If you’re doing well, then it is a nice one to roll out, but ask any Grimsby fan about my 2004/05 analysis and they’ll laugh at Boston being included. I remember chatting to one of their fans once about the Grimsby Boston game being a derby and they said ‘not a chance, you’re halfway to London before you get to Grimsby. York and Hull are bigger games‘. Some Grimsby fans don’t even consider us their rivals, seeing as you can be in Scunthorpe if 15 minutes, but it can take the best part of an hour to get to Lincoln.

All I would say, in final conclusion, is that right now we are the Pride of Lincolnshire, not because of 2004/05, the FA Cup, league history or the Lincolnshire Senior Cup, but because we are the only Lincolnshire EFL side with actual pride in our position. Grimsby are on their arses, with a despised owner slowly dragging the club into the ground, and Scunthorpe can probably count this season amongst the worst in a generation. As for us, we’re right at the peak, battling for a Championship place just as the Iron and Mariners have in recent seasons.

Still, whatever you tell me, and whatever this article suggests, nothing will change that feeling I had when Beevers bagged the fifth against them in 2006, not even the fact they beat us in the play-offs six weeks later. For that moment, and for many more since, Lincoln City were (and are currently) the Pride of Lincolnshire, so go sing it loud!