Looking Back: Lincoln City and Rotherham Share Six Goals On Dark Night For English Football

March 13th, 1985 was a memorable night for one big reason.

It was not memorable for Rotherham’s visit to Sincil Bank in a rearranged fixture. In the eighties, football reporting was sparse, and the Echo carried a cursory report, but nothing in-depth.

However, the Echo did carry a story on the front page featuring Imps manager Colin Murphy, who was responding to news that Millwall supporters had run amok in Luton, an incident which, together with Heysel a few months later, shamed English football.

1985 was not a great year for City, and the games that came before the Bradford tragedy are surely forgotten, marked as irrelevant. Few will recall how that season saw us narrowly avoid relegation, and even fewer will remember us drawing 3-3 with Rotherham in a thriller at the Bank.

It was a night that swung wildly in momentum, with the Imps showing both their frailties and their fighting spirit in equal measure. The contest only truly came alive after the break, but when it did, it delivered chaos, goals, and a reminder of the character within the Lincoln ranks.

The first half had offered little indication of what was to come, even if Rotherham edged in front with the first meaningful attack. Mick Gooding rose to meet a precise delivery and glance a header beyond Stuart Naylor, handing the visitors an early advantage.

City, struggling for consistency at the time and desperate to make home fixtures count, responded with intent rather than panic. Much of their threat stemmed from the right flank, where John McGinley was a constant outlet, combining effectively with Gordon Hobson to stretch the Millers’ defence.

Their pressure told just before the interval. McGinley again surged forward and delivered a low, dangerous cross that forced confusion in the Rotherham back line, with Mike Pickering turning the ball into his own net. It was a deserved leveller and ensured the sides went in all square.

Second-half chaos brings out City’s character

After the restart, Lincoln carried that momentum into a spell of genuine control. McGinley remained at the heart of everything positive, and it was his delivery that led to City taking the lead for the only time in the match. A deep cross caused uncertainty, Gordon Mair helped it back across goal, and Hobson applied the finish from close range.

At that stage, the Imps looked capable of pushing on, but the game turned again in dramatic fashion.

Rotherham were handed a route back into the contest when Pickering was fouled in the area, allowing Gooding to convert from the spot and restore parity. The equaliser shifted the balance, and with just minutes remaining, Kevin Kilmore produced a fine individual effort to put the visitors 3-2 ahead.

For a side that had already shown vulnerability, it could easily have been the decisive blow. Instead, it sparked one final surge.

Almost immediately from the restart, Lincoln forced their way forward once more. McGinley was again involved, Hobson again influential, and Neil Redfearn was on hand to apply the finishing touch, stabbing home the equaliser to send the 2,157 supporters into raptures.

It was a goal that encapsulated the evening, scrappy, immediate, and full of belief.

While the result may ultimately have felt like an opportunity missed, particularly given the importance of home fixtures, there was no denying the resolve shown by the Imps. Twice they had been pegged back, and once they had trailed late, yet they still found a way to respond.

On a night where defending left plenty to be desired, and fan behaviour would stain the nation’s consciousness for years, it was that refusal to accept defeat that stood out most.

Lincoln lined up: Stuart Naylor, Gary Strodder, Mark McCarrick, Neil Redfearn, Alan Walker, Steve Thompson, John McGinley, Phil Turner, Gordon Hobson, Ross Jack and Gordon Mair.