Remembering The Friendlies: Imps Beat Premiership Opposition

Lincoln City stunned top-flight newcomers Derby County in a resolute pre-season display that proved heartening for John Beck’s battle-weary side.

Despite a gruelling schedule and modest expectations, the Imps claimed a notable 1–0 win over Premier League opposition on Friday, 2nd August 1996.

It was the fourth fixture in just five days for a Lincoln side that had already drawn with Kettering Town and suffered back-to-back defeats against Aston Villa and Lincoln United. With the squad stretched and tired, few would have expected them to find another gear against Jim Smith’s Derby County—a side riding the wave of top-flight promotion and on the verge of leaving the Baseball Ground for pastures new.

City’s opponents arrived with pedigree. Smith, a former Imps player and once manager of Boston United, had built a team that included familiar names such as Paul Simpson, Dean Sturridge, and Dutchman Ron Willems. Goalkeeper Russell Hoult, who had enjoyed a pair of loan spells at Lincoln earlier in his career, was on the comeback trail from a broken leg and started between the sticks. However, their preparations were disrupted by a traffic jam near Nottingham that forced a 10-minute delay to kick-off.

Beck’s side seized the momentum from there, defending with tenacity and breaking with purpose. Gareth Ainsworth, whose reputation at Sincil Bank would only grow in the months to follow, delivered the match-winner just before half-time. From a Worrell Sterling corner, Steve Holmes flicked on at the near post, and Ainsworth was the sharpest in the box, nodding home from close range in the 43rd minute. It was a routine that would become second nature.

It also capped off a first half where Derby had threatened without converting. Sturridge struck the post early on, Simpson tested Barry Richardson with several efforts from distance, and Willems should have scored with a free header from five yards. Yet Lincoln stood firm, and once Sturridge was withdrawn at half-time as a precaution, the Rams’ attacking rhythm was lost.

The second period saw Holmes marshalling the backline superbly, ably supported by Kevin Austin, who impressed in a settling role. There were moments of danger, not least when substitute keeper Matt Dickens spilled a thunderous drive from Robin van der Laan, allowing Christian Dailly to bundle the ball home—only for the goal to be chalked off for a foul that left Derby bemused.

Lincoln’s control late on was calm and methodical. Dickens saved well from Lee Carsley, and City managed the closing stages without further alarm.

There was a sense of satisfaction in the aftermath—not because a Third Division team had downed a Premier League side, but because of the way they had done it. Assistant manager John Still summed it up best:

“Of course we’re pleased to win. That has nothing to do with it being a third division side having beaten one from the Premiership and everything to do with the fact we looked a good, solid unit.”

This wasn’t just a summer warm-up. In retrospect, this night offered a glimpse of the spirit and structure Beck was building in his squad. Matt Carbon, whose £400,000 move had helped set up the fixture, missed out through injury, but it was those in red and white who took their chance to shine.

Gareth Ainsworth would go on to bigger things, but moments like this only served to foreshadow his place in City folklore. With fewer than 2,000 fans in attendance, many missed what proved to be a quietly significant night in Lincoln’s pre-season journey—where tired legs were lifted by discipline, resilience, and just a touch of brilliance.