City have drawn Notts County in the League Cup for only the third time in our history.
The second time we played them was in 1995/96 when Devon White scored twice at their place to give them a 2-0 aggregate lead, and then Devon White scored twice more at our place to give them a 4-0 aggregate win. Painful.
In 1981/82, it should have been much worse. Lincoln City were fresh out of Division Four, whilst Notts County were a top-flight team. Indeed, in the 1980/81 season, as we finished second to Southend to earn promotion, County also finished second, but in the Second Division. To put that in modern day context, it is like Stevenage drawing Sheffield United in round two of the cup this season.
We’d already got through the first round, fending off Hull City 4-1 on aggregate. We’d also already met Notts County in the Football League Group Cup, an early version of the EFL Trophy, drawing 1-1, with future Imp Gordon Mair getting their goal, and another Gordon, Hobson, getting ours. When we drew them in the League Cup, it looked challenging – they were midtable in the top flight with three wins, and we were 14th in Division Three with just two wins. The game was a foul-tempered affair, with Tristan Benjamin being sent off for a second bookable offence, and Trevor Christie was dismissed late on. Notts County took the lead in the 11th minute, but Trevor Peake, returning after a nine-match absence through injury, levelled, and City should have won. It set things up nicely for the second leg.
City’s run of results was not good going into the game., losing three on the spin. Brentford beat us 3-1, Doncaster scored four to our one, and Bristol City won 2-1 at the Bank. In all three games, Derek Bell scored for the Imps, but it meant by October 27th, we were 18th in the table, just three points off the bottom four.
Notts County had lost just one in four, beating Arsenal (2-0) and Sunderland (2-1), as well as drawing with West Ham. On paper, it looked tricky, but on the grass at Meadow Lane, a decent First Divison side against an out-of-sorts Division Three side had all the hallmarks of a formality. City had to score – away goals counted, so the Magpies had the advantage, even more so when Gordon Hobson was ruled out injured. David Felgate returned after a one-match absence, and referee Trelford Mills got us underway with City standing at the base of a mountain, looking upwards.
The Imps lined up Felgate, Thompson, McVay, Cockerill, Peake, Carr, Cammack, Shipley, Bell, Cunningham and Gilbert (who turns 60 today, June 22nd), with Ged Creane on the bench.
Within three minutes, City led. Tony Cunningham, named Man of the Match in the previous leg, Trevor Thompson, Derek Bell and former Notts player David McVay combined for Cammack to cross, but Mark Goodwin cleared. His ball out fell to Cunningham, who lofted the ball up, over keeper Avramovic, and into the net. From being underdogs, Murphy’s Imps were top dogs within three minutes of action.
Now all they had to do was avoid defeat, against a Notts team that hadn’t failed to score at home all season. They looked rattled – McVay had an effort go close, Shipley had two, and another Goodwin clearance ended up going inches wide of his own post. City meant business, and felt a one goal lead wouldn’t be enough. They were right – Notts levelled on 31 minutes, Gordon Mair finding space for a shot conjured up from nowhere, which beat Felgate to even the game, and the tie. City took that as a challenge and immediately went up the other end, only for Cockerill to have his low effort turned aside by the keeper.
Notts came out fighting in the second half, but it was still an enthralling tie. Cockerill went close for City, but Felgate foiled Don Masson from close range at the other end. Felgate, omitted the previous week on form, not for an injury, proved his worth with another save from Benjamin in the 63rd minute, with the tie still in the balance. Then, disaster struck. Paul Hooks squared the ball for Masson and he tapped home with Felgate stranded. The top-flight side led with just 26 minutes left to play.
Dave Gilbert only started 15 league games during his Imps tenure but went on to play second-tier football with West Brom and Grimsby. On the form he showed at Meadow Lane, he should have been an Imps stalwart. He was taking players on at will and almost brought the Imps level moments after with a mazy run. City waited to take the corner, but both teams made subs – the two players sent off for County three weeks before swapped, Benjamin and Christie, whilst Ged Creane came on for Trevor Thompson. Before either player touched the ball, City were level.
Gilbert’s corner was placed with precision on the head of Cockerill, who turned his body to get power and direction on the ball. It fizzed past the keeper and gave City the lead on away goals. The rules stated that extra time would be played, and only if it remained 3-3 on aggregate at the conclusion of 120 minutes would City win the game. It was hope, something to defend.
Colin Murphy wasn’t having that, and on 77 minutes, the Imps took the tie.
Cunningham headed the ball to Cockerill, who twisted and turned before finding a green shirt on the edge of the area. That shirt belonged to George Shipley, and he smashed a 20-yard drive through a crowd of players, past Avramovic and into the back of the net. From being 2-1 down, City were 3-2 up against top-flight opposition, and there was no coming back. A late Paul Hooks effort could have brought extra time, but Felgate was equal to it.
The Imps drew Graham Taylor’s Watford in the next round, a Second Division team en route to finishing second in the table and being promoted. A brave effort saw us draw 2-2 at Vicarage Road in a one-legged tie, making a replay necessary. That led to a narrow 3-2 reverse at Sincil Bank, a game that saw us claw back a 3-0 deficit. The results clearly did us the world of good, and within a few months, we were challenging for promotion, losing out to Fulham in the season’s final game.
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