We weren’t at the party when the first season’s play-offs were contested. In fact, we were achieving a first of our own: we were the first team to be relegated from the Football League.
The year was 1987, and football was in a bit of a mire. Following the horrible summer of 1985, football authorities felt they needed to entice fans back into the grounds. One plan, part of something known as Heathrow Agreement suggested introducing play-offs to keep clubs and fans interested in the latter stages of the season. It was a temporary plan, with an agreement that if there was success, they’d become permanent.
Initially, three sides from each division made up the play-offs, and one from the bottom of the division above. That was abandoned in 1989, with an additional relegation spot added, and four teams from a single division entering the final set of matches. Two-legged finals went a year later, giving us our current format. It’s perhaps fitting that the first season of the current format, 1990, was the first season we had an interest until the last game of the season.
Lincoln’s history in the play-offs is not one littered with success. We’ve been in the mix on seven occasions—2003, 2004, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2018, and 2021—and not once been promoted that way. On ten occasions, we’ve had interest on the final day, whether desperately clinging to what we have or fighting to get ourselves into the end-of-season competition.
Tomorrow will be the 11th time we’ve kicked off the final game, knowing we need a certain result or hoping others do not get what they want. What fascinates me is that it is the tenth time since 1987 that the big game has taken place at Sincil Bank! Of those ten occasions, we have failed just three times, although technically, we failed to be in the play-offs four times (you’ll see what I mean).
This did take a bit of time to put together, but hopefully, it provides a comprehensive guide to Lincoln City’s final-day play-off dramas. Enjoy.
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