Lincoln City and Barnsley have crossed paths many times in league football, but their cup ties tell a story of frustration, resilience, and the occasional statement victory.
These encounters, spanning more than a century, have thrown up red cards, late goals, and contrasting fortunes between two clubs that often find themselves orbiting similar levels of English football.
Recent Clashes
The most recent cup meeting came in the Football League Trophy in August 2022, when Lincoln produced a ruthless display at Oakwell to claim a memorable 3–0 win. The night turned early in the visitors’ favour after Barnsley striker James Norwood was sent off on 22 minutes for smashing Jay Benn off the ball.
The Imps took full advantage through a quickfire brace from Teddy (behave) Bishop inside the first 17 minutes. A late third from Jovon Makama sealed a dominant performance and a clean sheet that hinted at Lincoln’s potential under Mark Kennedy. The contest was notable for its discipline and control, with the Imps showing cutting-edge rarely seen away from home in that period.
By contrast, the Carling Cup tie in August 2009 ended in disappointment. At Sincil Bank, a close contest was decided by a 72nd-minute strike from Daniel Bogdanovic, sending the Championship visitors through at the expense of Peter Jackson’s League Two side. The Imps created chances through Rene Howe, but Kovacs’ slip let Simon Davey’s side in.
A decade earlier, the two-legged League Cup meeting in August 1999 offered drama across both ties. Lincoln went down 4–2 at home in the first leg, with goals from Terry Fleming and Lee Thorpe giving brief hope after Barnsley’s early dominance through Neil Shipperley and Robin van der Laan. In the return leg at Oakwell, Lincoln led by two, thanks to Gavin Gordon and Richard Peacock, but were pegged back by late goals from Mike Sheron and Nicky Eaden.
The Imps exited 6–4 on aggregate, though the performance drew praise for its attacking intent against higher-level opposition.
Earlier Meetings
The late 1970s produced one of the most evenly balanced cup ties between the sides. In the 1979–80 League Cup, both clubs won their home legs 2–1, Lincoln’s victory at Sincil Bank almost being enough. They were poised at 1-1 in injury time at Oakwell, but a late leveller saw us then eliminated on penalties.
The FA Cup meeting of January 1966 proved a tougher afternoon for City. Facing Barnsley at Sincil Bank, the hosts fell 3–1 in a game shaped by defensive lapses and a clinical visiting attack. It came during a difficult period for the Imps, whose league struggles mirrored their inability to sustain cup runs in the mid-sixties.
A year earlier, in the 1964–65 League Cup, Lincoln travelled to Oakwell and lost 2–1. Despite a battling display, the hosts edged through with second-half pressure that eventually told. The result added to a run of early exits that left the Imps without a sustained cup journey during the decade.
The earliest recorded cup clash came way back in February 1903, when Lincoln visited Barnsley in the FA Cup and were beaten 2–0. It was a rough, physical affair typical of the era, with the home side adapting better to a heavy pitch and blustery conditions. The Imps, then a Football League Second Division side, bowed out in the early rounds without troubling the scorers, and apparently, only 73 supporters made the trip.
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