As we prepare for Man Utd’s kids once again, it’s time to look back at when Anthony Scully’s hat-trick lit up a summer night at the Bank.
It was August 2021, and the EFL Trophy group stage was only just beginning, but the evening provided one of the most entertaining ties of Michael Appleton’s spell (some might say in 21/22, that’s not saying a huge amount).
Injuries and Selection Woes
City entered the contest already ravaged by injury. Appleton had only three substitutes to call upon, one of them a goalkeeper, another an academy graduate. By the final whistle, Lincoln were effectively down to ten men, with Dan Nlundulu limping off after Anthony Scully had already departed early. The paper-thin bench and injury list became a theme of that season, but on this night, the starting XI still managed to deliver some sparkling football.
TJ Eyoma returned for a second debut at centre-half, Cohen Bramall slotted in at left-back, and a midfield trio of Conor McGrandles, Lewis Fiorini and Teddy Bishop dominated long spells of the game. Fiorini, on loan from Manchester City, particularly impressed, showing the composure and drive that made him stand out across the autumn months.
Scully the Difference
The evening ultimately belonged to Scully. The Irishman had already made a sharp start to the season, but this was the night he confirmed himself as City’s key attacking threat. He opened the scoring from close range, was released by a glorious Bishop pass for his second, and then completed his hat-trick with a rare header. At 3-0, the result looked settled, and the only question was whether Lincoln might add more.
Instead, the game followed a familiar pattern of that year: bright, controlled attacking play followed by a shaky finish. Substitute Lasse Sorensen couldn’t convert a late chance, Nlundulu missed when well placed, and United’s youngsters finally began to push forward. Hannibal Mejbri headed in one before setting up another, bringing the score back to 3-2 and leaving the Imps to hang on nervously.
Mejbri’s late red card summed up the visitors’ frustration.
What It Meant
The win gave City early control of their group and handed debuts to Sam Long and Billy Brooks. Long enjoyed a quiet evening in goal, while Brooks, still a teenager, marked the occasion with a crunching late tackle that brought cheers from the home crowd.
The attendance of 3,500 may not have rivalled the glamour of league action, but for families and younger fans it was a chance to see United in town. For Lincoln, it was a reminder of the talent within the squad, even as injuries loomed large.
In the bigger picture, this EFL Trophy outing hinted at the season to come: patches of exciting, attacking football, the emergence of Scully as a genuine goal threat, but also the nagging problem of depth. Scully would score again in the next game at Oxford, then in the cup against Bradford, before five goal involvements against Cambridge United.
However, within days, Appleton would be lamenting the strain of injuries as City struggled for consistency. The game at Oxford, days later, saw us try a formation with no strikers at all. Not one. We lost 3-1.
Yet looking back, the 3-2 victory remains one of the more entertaining nights of that campaign, a once-rare example of Lincoln and a Manchester United XI facing off, even if the visitors’ side was made up of emerging talent.
For Scully, it was arguably one of his finest hours in an Imps shirt.
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