Past Meetings: Lincoln City v Cardiff City

Lincoln City and Cardiff City have met just 28 times in league football, with the head-to-head record remaining finely balanced across more than 70 years of competition.

Our last meeting was in March 2001 at Sincil Bank, and we’ve had the bragging rights for 25 years. After a goalless first half, City struck twice in the final 20 minutes to secure a comfortable home win. Paul Smith broke the deadlock on 72 minutes before Tony Battersby added a second seven minutes later to put the result beyond doubt.

The game was notable for its disciplinary moments. Cardiff midfielder Ian Rodgerson was sent off on the stroke of half time, while a number of yellow cards were shown as the contest became increasingly physical. Lincoln were well organised throughout and made their numerical advantage count after the break.

Earlier in the same campaign, City were edged out in South Wales in a five-goal contest. Despite competing well for long periods, Lincoln left Ninian Park empty-handed after Cardiff found a late way through. Gavin Gordon scored twice, a return impressive enough to convince them to buy him not long after.

In 1997/98, our promotion season, we won home and away. Lee Thorpe’s fifth-minute strike settled the contest at Sincil Bank, continuing a run of tight but effective home performances against Cardiff during that era.

The 1996-97 campaign also brought memorable results, including a 3-1 away victory in January 1997 and a 2-0 home win in September 1996, when goals from Colin Alcide and John Taylor secured the points despite Cardiff finishing the match with 10 men.

Earlier in the decade, meetings were closely fought. City recorded important away wins in January 1991 and August 1991, while draws were shared at Sincil Bank in both the 1990-91 and 1991-92 seasons.

The balance began to swing back towards Cardiff in the mid-1980s, highlighted by a heavy 4-0 defeat for Lincoln at Sincil Bank in December 1985, a season that saw both clubs relegated.

Pre-1970

The earliest meetings between the sides came in the old Second Division, where matches were often high scoring. One of the most significant results arrived on 30 April 1958, when Lincoln beat Cardiff 3-1 at Sincil Bank in a game that formed part of City’s remarkable late escape from relegation.

That period also included a 4-2 home win in February 1959, although Cardiff enjoyed their own emphatic victories, most notably a 6-2 win in South Wales in February 1960. The first post-war meeting between the clubs ended goalless at Sincil Bank in November 1948.