Ashley Grimes’ hat-trick lit up Edgeley Park as the Imps edged a breathless 4-3 win over Stockport County in 2011.
It was the sort of afternoon where Lincoln looked capable of scoring at will, and just as capable of letting the opposition straight back into it. That’s probably why both teams ended up being relegated, but for one afternoon, there was a degree of quality on display, even if it was from two bad teams.
Two new faces debut
Lincoln arrived at Edgeley Park looking for a response after defeat at home to Wycombe Wanderers, and Steve Tilson shuffled the pack with four changes. Two of them were eye-catching, with new loan signings Trevor Carson and Stephen Hunt thrown straight in for their debuts.
Joe Anyon and Paul Green made way, while Adam Watts returned to the starting side, and Mustapha Carayol came in as well.
First half
The opening minutes contained the warning signs of a lively afternoon. David Poole forced Carson into an early save and Delroy Facey had already tried his luck from distance, but on five minutes, City led.
Facey provided the assist, and Ashley Grimes, on loan and full of confidence, fired in from just outside the penalty area into the bottom-left corner for 0-1. It was a composed finish, delivered with the kind of certainty that suggested Lincoln had come to Edgeley Park to be positive.
There were scrappy moments too. A series of free kicks and stoppages broke the rhythm, including a handball by Gavin McCallum and multiple fouls in quick succession, but Lincoln looked the more threatening side in open play. Carayol was involved early, winning a free kick, and Hunt’s set pieces were a clear feature of the plan, even if the game rarely settled long enough for them to dominate.
Stockport’s equaliser arrived on 25 minutes, and it came from a familiar place, a dangerous situation in the box. Greg Tansey’s effort was parried by Carson, but Adam Griffin reacted quickest to poke in from close range for 1-1.
The game’s edge sharpened almost immediately. Ishmel Demontagnac was booked after a foul on Grimes, while Josh O’Keefe followed him into the referee’s notebook not long after. There was also a sense of Lincoln being able to hurt Stockport from wide, with deliveries coming in from set plays and open crosses, and with Grimes increasingly finding space to shoot. He tested Matthew Glennon, forcing a save, and former Imp Anthony Elding went close with a header that drifted over.
Just after the half-hour, Lincoln suffered an early blow. Carayol, who had started brightly, was forced off, replaced by Scott Kerr. It altered the shape and reduced one obvious source of drive, but Lincoln still carried a threat and kept working the ball into advanced positions.
The crucial moment of the half arrived deep into stoppage time. Grimes won a free kick, Daniel Hone supplied the assist, and Adam Watts rose to meet it. His header restored Lincoln’s lead. It was a huge goal to score so late in the half, and it shifted the mood again.
Second half
The second half began with City still looking dangerous from corners and crosses. Facey had an early header that missed, and McCallum’s corner delivery quickly had Stockport defending their box. Yet, just as in the first half, it never felt safe. Elding’s movement continued to prompt offside flags and hurried clearances, and Stockport remained a threat whenever they could turn possession into a quick delivery.
On the hour, City took a major step towards securing the points. McCallum supplied the assist, Grimes finished from close range, and the Imps were 3-1 up. But the afternoon refused to behave. Stockport responded quickly. David Poole scored minutes later from inside the six-yard box, finishing low. The two-goal cushion had lasted only a matter of minutes, and the sense of a game teetering returned.
Tilson’s side, to their credit (which is a rare thing to say), did not retreat. Instead, they restored the breathing space almost immediately. Grimes completed his hat-trick, scoring from inside the penalty area. City led once again, but even at 4-2 the game remained jagged. McCallum had a shot go wide, and as Stockport threw bodies forward, there were more offside decisions, more free kicks, and a growing sense that one more goal would change everything.
That one more goal arrived on 74 minutes, and it came in the worst possible way for Lincoln. Adam Watts, scorer of the first-half header, turned the ball into his own net with a headed own goal. The game still felt open, but Tilson tried to manage the closing stages with changes. Albert Jarrett replaced Grimes and the final minutes were filled with stoppages, fouls, and narrow escapes. FIt might have been called game management, had the encounter taken place today.
After five additional minutes, the whistle went. Lincoln had won 4-3, and the match stats captured the strange balance of it all, dominance in possession and more attacking output for the Imps, matched by a persistent vulnerability that kept the contest alive to the very end.
What was said
The post-match reaction reflected both the relief and the concern that a seven-goal game naturally brings.
“We’re certainly scoring but we just can’t stop leaking goals at the moment, but obviously I’m really pleased,” said Tilson. “People can say it’s Stockport and a six-pointer but at the end of the day it’s just another game that we needed to win and I can’t fault the lads for effort, commitment, desire and togetherness.
“We needed to put all of those things into today’s game and we did. There could have been more goals at either end but we set out to win and it’s a big three points for us.”
And that is exactly how it felt in the moment. A day when Lincoln’s attacking players, led by Grimes, were sharp, decisive, and ruthless in front of goal, and a day when the defensive side of the performance still offered Stockport far too much encouragement.
It did not have to be this dramatic, but it was, and for anyone who likes their lower-league football chaotic and compelling, Edgeley Park delivered.
Sadly, come the 46-game mark, the Hatters were bottom, and we slipped to second bottom, enabling us to renew our acquaintance as Blue Square Premier teams the following season. Lovely.
I am aware these images are not of Stockport and Lincoln in 2011. Bubs didn’t make the game so these are away fixtures around the same time.
You must be logged in to post a comment.