For anyone in their mid-forties today, 1996 was a great year. British music was brilliant, British cinema was brilliant, and as people in their late teens and early twenties, life was great. 

Euro 96 was around the corner, and Britain was undeniably cool. It felt like the best time to be young since the swinging sixties, and as we stood on the cusp of the digital revolution, it might just have been the last time we lived our lives without the restraints of social media and digital connection. Sure, it’s great that we’re all super connected, but nothing quite beats gathering with friends around the phone box at 7 pm, or having to ring the pubs to find out which one your Dad was in before you tried to cadge a fiver.

Take That was top of the charts with How Deep Is Your Love, but it was sandwiched between Don’t Look Back In Anger by Oasis and Breathe by The Prodigy. Trainspotting had been released for little more than a month, and in Wragby, the buzz around the upcoming Euros was already reaching Fever Pitch (the book I was reading around this time). Yep, in my little slice of heaven, life was good. Besides, I’d left school a month earlier and was footloose and fancy-free. Skint, but footloose and fancy-free, nonetheless.

At Sincil Bank, John Beck had worked some of his magic, saving the club from the downward trajectory of Sam Ellis and the utter calamity of Steve Wicks. There was also plenty happening this week 27 years ago – new signings, transfer deadlines, wins and defeats, and more news than you could shake a big ‘ol stick at. Here are the headlines of the day in the week that was 27 years ago.

Monday, March 25th

The week certainly started on a high for the Imps. After three defeats on the spin, there was a resounding victory at home on the Saturday in front of 3,240 and a soon-to-be celebrity referee, Uriah Rennie. Doncaster harboured some play-off aspirations, and the Imps needed points to stave off the fading threat of relegation. In a stunning 30 minutes of football, those points were achieved.

Lining up Richardson, Holmes, Whitney, Minett, Robertson, G Brown, Ainsworth, Onwere, Bos and S Brown, City got at their visitors from the start. Sammy Chung, the Doncaster manager, had claimed City ‘deserved to go out of the league playing like that’ after our draw at Belle Vue earlier in the season, a result secured thanks to a last-minute Minett penalty. There was no such late drama on this occasion, as City brushed Chung’s side away like a swatted fly.

Alcide opened the scoring on eight minutes, finishing off a move that involved Bos (making only his second start since arriving from the Netherlands), Steve Brown, and Ainsworth. Two minutes later, Doncaster keeper Williams cleared a ball straight to the feet of Minett, who sent a 30-yard effort back over his head and into the net for 2-0. It took just ten minutes more for Alcide to nod home Brown’s cross for the third, and on 29 minutes it was four. Minett saw his corner cleared back out to his feet, and he lashed a drive back into the net.

Imps fans might have been thinking double figures were possible when Colin Cramb got sent off on 37 minutes for lashing out at Jon Whitney. I’ll be honest, that doesn’t sound like the smartest move, but the ill-tempered affair earlier in the season ended with a 17-man brawl. This one ended as a contest on 20 minutes. The second half saw ‘lively’ cameos from Magic Johnson, who had started the previous five games under Beck, and Terry Fleming. Little did fans know that Johnson would be pulling on the red and white for the final time.

The win lifted City to 17th in the table

Tuesday, March 26th

The Imps were scheduled to play Hereford United on Tuesday 26th, but the game was instead pushed back 24 hours with the Edgar Street pitch waterlogged. That left the Echo looking to fill some column inches, so they ran a story on Gijsbert Bos, the new Imps striker who is still widely respected today. Bos had already bagged a goal for the Imps, on his home debut against Barnet just four minutes after coming on. Just a couple of months before the move he’d been playing part-time for Ysselmeervogels in his homeland, and working in a hardware store, hence the hammer headline. Clever, ish.

He wasn’t going to be the only new signing if John Beck had anything to do with it. The controversial manager was in the market for a couple of other players as well, and he was keen on a loan signing. He had been full up with five loans, but Steve Holmes signed permanently, meaning he had a space free. He was also keen on landing another of his old charges from his Preston and Cambridge days; he was eager to land Andy Fensome, who had previously been with him at both former clubs.

Wednesday, March 27th

There should have been a match report to enjoy, but with the Hereford game pushed back, those who picked up an Echo to read before their trip down the motorway were given a glimpse into the future. Back when big clubs didn’t just tour Asia during the summer, we used to get some decent friendlies, and there were already two on the horizon. Derby County, who had signed Matt Carbon, were obliged to come and play us, as were Newcastle United. That game ended up putting us in the spotlight as it became the first outing for the world’s most expensive player, Alan Shearer, and it came about following the sale of Darren Huckerby. There was also reports that West Ham would put a team out against us, but that didn’t happen – instead, Aston Villa came down to give us three big matches in a row. I remember all three, with the Derby game standing out as it prompted me to put Dean Sturridge in my fantasy team at work, and led to me winning £20!

The club hoped to net between £50,000 and £100,000 for each, which in turn would lead to an increase in Beck’s budget. Geoff Davey, the club’s managing director, was also eager to ensure everyone could get to see the games. “We are keen for these two big games to be on successive Saturdays,” he said of the Derby and Newcastle matches. “We do not want them too close together, Saturday and Tuesday for example, which might mean some supporters have to choose which one to see.”

As for the Hereford game, City were expecting to see former player Tony James in opposition, and striker Steve White, who played three games on loan in 1983 and ended the 1995/96 campaign with a whopping 29 league goals.

Thursday, March 28th

James and White did play, but neither got a goal. Sadly, Nicky Cross, another veteran, did. He created space for Tony Pounder eight minutes from time and then got in the box to finish the move off to defeat the Imps by a single goal. It was a spirited Imps display that brought far fewer rewards than it deserved, but Hereford were on a climb that saw them go from 19th to 6th in two months – they’d eventually lose the play-off semi-final to Darlington.

John Beck wasn’t dismayed, with Colin Alcide hitting the post in a performance that saw us looking ‘stronger and sharper’ than our hosts. “I thought we did enough to earn at least a draw,” said Beck. “We created chances, including two clear-cut ones in the first half. We paid the full price for one lapse at the back by one defender who has put his hands up and taken responsibility for it.”

That wasn’t the only news of the day. Firstly, a rather shocking headline screamed ‘Johnson is axed’, as news of Magic Johnson’s departure was revealed on the back of the paper. Johnson, a £32,000 signing from Sheffield Wednesday, was part of Beck’s plans but seemingly didn’t want to stay at the club. He turned down a new deal, and he turned down moves to Colchester, Shrewsbury, Mansfield, and Torquay. The report said he’d been given two weeks’ notice after rejecting Colchester’s £10,000 bid, and that he ‘wouldn’t be around the club’ after that. He left the club not long after and didn’t play professionally again, moving to Altrincham.

We were still keen on recruits, and a reserve game scheduled for that day saw two triallists, Neil Ogden and Paul de Luca, strutting their stuff. Ogden, released by Wigan, got the only Imps goal of the game against Scarborough on the Sincil Bank pitch as we lost 2-1. Ogden later won the Irish league with Portadown and played briefly in the Champions League, but he didn’t do enough to convince Beck he warranted a deal, and neither did de Luca, a prolific striker with non-league side Histon.

Friday, March 29th

Deadline Day passed, but it didn’t bring any joy – who would have thought, disappointment waiting for players to come in! On this occasion, it was Andy Fensome letting us down. The defender had been a big name for Beck at his two previous clubs, winning Player of the Year for North End in 1994/95, and he was poised for a move. Preston were willing to give us Fensome and £10,000 for striker Phil Daley. Daley was happy with that, he agreed personal terms at Deepdale, but Fensome and the Imps had different ideas on where the wage package should be pitched, and the deal fell through. If he had arrived, he would have been the sixth person from Preston to join the Imps after Richardson, Ainsworth, Holmes, Fleming and chief scout Glenn Bonnell, whose job it seems was just to keep going back to his old club.

What was the repeat feat the Imps chased? It was another win against Darlington. The surprise packages of the division beat the Imps in Steve Wick’s penultimate game in charge but were then defeated by City in the Auto Windscreen’s Sheild. They were hunting promotion, with former Imps Matt Carmichael and Gary Bannister, and a young Robbie Blake leading the line, and had lost just five times in 27 matches.

Saturday, March 30th

A fun one for Saturday if you were reading on the way up to Feethams. Remember when Barry Richardson designed Wycombe’s kit and made headlines? Well, here in Lincoln, he was doing that as early as March 1996. Not designing kits, but making headlines for his fashion choices. He’d trialled some different coloured boots, from Apta, and on both occasions, City lost. He wore bright green as we went down 7-1 at Bury, and then wore white as we lost 2-0 at Leyton Orient. The rest of the lads had him back on black boots quicker than you could say ‘slow news day’.

Monday, April 1st

The trip to Feethams didn’t exactly light up the lives of supporters who went, but it did earn the praise of manager Beck. This was the Imps’ fifth defeat in six matches, against a team who would not lose another game until the play-off final. “I’m very proud of the lads,” said Beck after the defeat. “The Lincoln supporters here will know that our players gave everything they had.”

Indeed they did, and it could easily have been 3-3, or better. The hosts took the lead with a 30-yard drive that swirled in the wind on 21 minutes, but their lead was short-lived. On 24, Bos hit his second in four matches, nodding home Minett’s corner. Richardson made a save from Sean Gregan, whilst Ainsworth put his effort too close to Darlo stopper Newell in a blistering few minutes. Sadly, 20-year-old Blake crossed for Gaughan on half an hour to make it 2-1 to the hosts.

In the second half Darlington, who went up to fourth after the win, laid siege to the Imps goal, and Richardson made a couple of crucial saves, with Fleming clearing off the line. The midfielder didn’t know a lot about it as he lay dazed in the net, putting his body on the line. Then, on 56 minutes, the Imps broke downfield, and defender Andy Crosby’s clearance rattled off Ainsworth to make it 2-2.

Sadly, they say you are susceptible after conceding and within 60 seconds it was 3-2 thanks to the two Robbies. Painter made it to the byline to cross for Blake, who swept his chance home. There ended Darlignton’s attacking intent, but City weren’t done. They piled forward, Gant Brown heading over, Steve Holmes shooting over, twice, Jason Barnett and Terry Fleming both also being denied. When the final whistle went, it was a reflection of the game that it did so as the ball once again bounced around Darlington’s box. City just couldn’t find the goal.

That wasn’t the end of the affair though – the Monday Echo carried stories of the Imps causing dressing room damage, including broken mugs and a smashed shower head. Darlington general manager Steve Morgon claimed the Imps’ showed ‘abysmal conduct’ and left the dressing room heavily damaged. “Steve Morgon appears to want to make a big issue out of this,” said John Reames after the game. “I was called down to see what had happened and there were some broken mugs and a shower top had been removed. We will be talking to the players to find out what went on and we’ll pay for any damage, but it was superficial.”

We’ll end the week on a superficial note. The final news piece on the Monday morning told of a signing that, briefly, I searched for online. I never recalled Cornelius Worst making an appearance for the club, and it was a few seconds before I realised why. Monday was April 1st, 1996.