Looking Back At: The Last Time City Beat Doncaster At The Bank

It’s been 28 years and five matches since the Imps have beaten Doncaster on home soil.

In November 1997, we edged out bottom-side Rovers at Sincil Bank in a tense League Division 3 encounter decided by a trio of headers and a late defensive stand. It was a night that summed up John Beck’s pragmatic 1997 side: efficient, organised, and relentless rather than spectacular, but good enough to extend an unbeaten run to thirteen matches and climb within touching distance of the division’s summit.

Dean Walling set the tone with a thumping early header from a Mark Hone corner, a familiar sight for Imps fans during that campaign. Doncaster, showing signs of life under Danny Bergara, offered resistance despite their lowly position. Their teenage debutant goalkeeper, Gary Hoggeth, was thrown into action after Dean Williams failed to arrive due to traffic delays, and the youngster produced a composed display behind an improving defence. Sadly for him, he’d concede 26 in his next seven outings, effectively ending his career.

The visitors’ growing confidence was rewarded shortly after the break when Prince Moncrieffe nodded home Steve Hawes’ corner, punishing a rare lapse in Lincoln’s marking. For a brief spell, Doncaster threatened to turn the game, pressing high and unsettling Beck’s back line. But the decisive moment arrived midway through the second half, courtesy of a flash of quality down the left. Terry Fleming’s clever footwork took him past his man before he delivered an inch-perfect cross for Steve Holmes, who powered in his first goal of the season beyond the helpless Hoggeth.

We controlled proceedings from there, though they never looked entirely comfortable. Walling fired over, Phil Stant volleyed just wide, and in the closing minutes, Barry Richardson was forced into a vital save, tipping Darren Brooks’ deflected header over the bar. The experienced goalkeeper, whose form had been strong in recent weeks, again proved crucial as the clock ticked past ninety minutes and Sincil Bank grew restless.

Rovers’ best spell came late on, their energy epitomised by seventeen-year-old full-back Maurice Hilton, whose composure on only his second appearance suggested Bergara’s influence was beginning to take hold. Still, our resilience won out, Walling nearly adding another at the right end only for his effort to be cleared off the line by Mike Smith. After a prolonged half-time interval and lengthy stoppages, the final whistle brought relief rather than celebration, but also three more precious points for a side quietly building momentum in their promotion bid.

Manager John Beck admitted his team had been far from fluent but praised their focus.

“I’m happy with the three points. Make no mistake, Doncaster have started to turn the corner. Their manager is getting them organised and they’re not a bad side.

“We played moderately well in the first half and not so well in the second. We conceded the equaliser when a member of the squad didn’t do his job. And then Steve Holmes got the all-important goal.”

They weren’t improving that much – they ended the season with just 20 points, and were relegated to the GMVC. We finished with 75 points and automatic promotion to the third tier.

One final point of interest: the referee. George Cain was barely mentioned at all in the reports, but he’d make Imps headlines seven years later.

Lincoln City: Richardson, Barnett, Whitney, Fleming, Holmes, Austin, Walling, Thorpe, Stant, Gordon, Hone. Subs: Brown, Smith, Stones.

Doncaster Rovers: Hoggeth, Warren, Dobbin, Hawes, Mike, Moncrieffe, Hammond, Hilton, Gore, Brookes, Ireland. Subs: Sanders, Ramsay, Smith.