Lincoln 3-0 Oxford 2005
This was a resounding win from a Lincoln side right at its peak. It came not long before the Toner and Richardson incident which I believe cost us a chance of third-tier football, and therefore might just be the closest we get to a side capable of promotion until we finally went up in 2019. It was Toner’s last appearance for City, and the last time unused sub Richardson sat on the bench. We had lost one in six going into the game, and had not long since beaten Grimsby 4-2 at their place.
City lined up A Marriott, P Morgan, G McAuley, K Sandwith, M Bloomer, J McCombe, C Toner, R Butcher, F Green, S Yeo and G Taylor-Fletcher. Peter Gain was on the bench, having recently lost his place in the side. That is how competitive we were.
Ramon Diaz had just been named manager of the month for Oxford, and so it was little surprise when we took an early lead. David MacKay tripped Yeo as he looked to go around the outside, and the same player stood up to stroke the penalty home in the 30th minute. In the second half, Gary Taylor-Fletcher bagged a second. The striker had scored in five consecutive matches at the start of the campaign, but only managed two between August 24th and this February encounter. He robbed a defender on the attacking left, twisted and turned before rifling in a shot from 18-yards out, much to his delight.
At 2-0, City were home and dry, but there was still time for more. Taylor-Fletcher looked to have been fouled on the left flank, but the game continued as the ball rolled out to sub Gain. He did what I remember him doing so well, he drove a cross in front of keeper Tardif towards Yeo, who snuck in with a hint of offside to touch the ball home for his 15th of the season. He celebrated in the net, 3-0 City, and certainly one to remember.
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