Introducing: John Schofield

Last week, we announced a live show next Friday featuring Graham Bressington and John Schofield.

Tickets are still available for the show, although we have already sold 50% of the tickets, so you need to be quick. If you want to be there, Tension Twisted Realities on Croft Street, visit this link and secure your place now. There’s a bar and two great former players telling their stories.

GET YOUR TICKETS HERE

For many, John Schofield will be a familiar name. Perhaps not to younger people as a player, but his first six months as manager are widely considered to be one of the most exciting of the era. With Mark Stallard and Jamie Forrester smashing in the goals, he oversaw a 7-1 win against Rochdale and a 5-0 win at Barnet. They were great days.

However, before he was a manager, he was a player. This is his Imps story.

Arrival at Lincoln

Schofield’s journey to Lincoln City began in November 1988 when manager Colin Murphy signed him from Gainsborough Trinity for a modest £10,000 fee. At the time, he was a hard-working midfielder who had made a name for himself in non-league football. He made an instant impact, debuting in a thrilling 4–1 victory against Burnley, then leaders of the Fourth Division. His tenacity and combative style quickly endeared him to the Sincil Bank faithful. A few months later, he scored his first goal for the club in a 4–3 win over Wrexham.

It didn’t take long for Schofield to cement his place in the starting XI. By the end of the 1988–89 season, he had made 31 appearances, becoming a key figure in the side. Over the next few years, he developed a reputation as a reliable, box-to-box midfielder. His versatility and work rate ensured he was a constant presence in the team, typically wearing the number 7 shirt.

Consistency and Leadership

Schofield’s consistency was remarkable. Between 1989 and 1994, he made over 40 appearances each season, demonstrating both fitness and commitment. His best campaign arguably came in 1993–94, when he played 50 games, scored twice, and was named club captain. That same season, he was voted Supporters’ Player of the Year, a testament to his influence on and off the pitch.

By the start of the 1994–95 season, Schofield remained a central figure at Lincoln but saw his time at the club come to an end midway through the campaign. Despite departing, his impact on the club was long-lasting, and he was later voted number 47 on Lincoln City’s list of 100 league legends.

Return to Lincoln as a Coach

After winding down his playing career, Schofield returned to Lincoln City in June 2000, initially as the Head of Youth Development. In this role, he laid the groundwork for the club’s future by nurturing young talent. Under his guidance, players like Lee Frecklington emerged from the youth setup, while others, such as Jack Hobbs and Scott Loach, moved on to bigger clubs.

His impressive work behind the scenes earned him a promotion to first-team coach in 2005, and by May 2006, he stepped into the role of caretaker manager following Keith Alexander’s departure. A month later, Schofield was named head coach, with John Deehan as the director of football.

A Promising Start as Manager

The 2006–07 season began brightly for Lincoln under Schofield’s leadership. Adopting a more attacking style of play, the team was among the league’s top scorers and even topped the League Two table in October 2006. Schofield’s efforts earned him the League Two Manager of the Month award for October, courtesy of those big wins against Rochdale and Barnet,

Despite a strong start, our form dipped in the second half of the season. We finished in the play-offs for the fifth consecutive year but suffered a heartbreaking 7–4 aggregate defeat to Bristol Rovers in the semi-finals. Nevertheless, Schofield’s attacking philosophy had reinvigorated the team, and he was rewarded with a three-year contract extension in August 2007.

Unfortunately, the momentum from the previous season didn’t carry over into 2007–08. Lincoln struggled to find form, prompting growing unease among supporters. Critics argued that Schofield’s emphasis on attacking football came at the expense of defensive solidity. After a run of nine matches without a win, he was sacked in October 2007.