Lincoln City Manager First Games: What Does History Suggest?

On paper, Lincoln City duo Chris Cohen and Tom Shaw have the toughest first game of my lifetime.

Middlesbrough were 90 minutes from the Premier League in May, and yet they’ll be served up as our first Championship dish come the start of August. I’m not sure any manager in history has had a first game quite that difficult – even during our old Second Division stay, Bill Anderson was never starting out.

I wondered if Lincoln City managers often had tough starts, so I turned to the internet to put together a list of all the manager changes since I have been going to the Bank, and how their first games went. As it turns out, only 25% of Imps managers since 1987 have won their first game, with 45% losing. No new manager bounce for the City, usually.

Peter Daniel

Appointed 7 March 1987, win percentage 16.67%

Rochdale (A) 1-1

Peter Daniel was a player-manager who took over from George Kerr as we plummeted towards the GMVC in 1986/87. City were 17th in the division when he took over, 14 points clear of safety with 15 matches to play.

We drew his first game in charge, away at Rochdale. It was a narrow 1-1 draw, secured only by Daniel’s assist for Kevin Kilmore. Rochdale were bottom of the table with four wins all season, so not a tough one.

Colin Murphy

Appointed 26 May 1987, win percentage 37.86%

Barnet (A) 2-4

The late, great Colin Murphy started the second of his spells with the Imps away at Barnet, and, in truth, that was tough. We had been relegated after Daniel’s stint, and Barnet were the favourites for promotion. The fixtures, not fixed at all, sent us there on the opening day, and then to big spending Weymouth in the midweek.

Allan Clarke

Appointed 3 June 1990, win percentage 16.67%

Burnley (A) 2-2

Allan Clarke lasted 179 days at City and had far worse matches than his opener. Burnley were Fourth Division fodder, finishing 16th the previous season, but a trip to Turf Moor wasn’t easy. We drew 2-2, Paul Smith and Grant Brown scoring the goals. It was one of only two away points he got, the other coming in his final away game at Carlisle.

Steve Thompson

Appointed 30 November 1990, win percentage 37.50%

Scarborough (H) 2-0

Thommo replaced Clarke on Friday, 30th November, and had a game the next day. It was at the Bank, against Scarborough, who were 12th, nine points clear of 23rd-placed City.

Smith again was on the scoresheet, as was John Schofield, to give City a 2-0 win.

Keith Alexander

Appointed 1 August 1993, win percentage 27.08%

Colchester United (A) 0-1

Keith Alexander’s first spell at City started with a defeat against Colchester United. He didn’t win for four matches, but advanced in the cup: a 2-2 draw at Vale Park was enough to beat Port Vale on away goals, to set up a tie with Everton. Colchester had finished 10th the season before, two places below the Imps.

Sam Ellis

Appointed 1 August 1994, win percentage 37.50%

Exeter City (H) 2-0

Sam Ellis returned to replace Keith a season later and got the rarest of an Imps manager’s first results; a win. His Imps’ side beat Exeter 2-0, David Johnson netting from the spot, and Tony Daws getting on the scoresheet. It was a really good performance, too, sparking hope of a big season.

Steve Wicks

Appointed 4 September 1995, win percentage 0.00%

Rochdale (H) 1-2

When a manager has a zero win percentage, you know there is an issue. Way ahead of his time, John Reames appointed a head coach, rather than a manager, in Wicks. He wasn’t ruling out the play-offs, but he lost 2-1 in his opening game against Rochdale, a result which put City at the bottom.

John Beck

Appointed 16 October 1995, win percentage 36.92%

Cardiff City (H) 0-1

John Beck lost the first game of his managerial reign, and it was in true Beck style. A late goal, two red cards and a lot of big balls. He did turn things around, but it was another debut defeat in the Imps dugout.

Shane Westley

Appointed 7 March 1998, win percentage 30.00%

Leyton Orient (A) 0-1

Another manager, another defeat, and despite City being en route to promotion, Shane Westley started his life in the dugout as a beaten manager. Westley’s started as Beck’s had: a red card for Terry Fleming left City fighting a man down.

John Reames

Appointed 11 November 1998, win percentage 34.48%

Cheltenham Town (H) 1-0

John Reames started his stint as manager with a win, and it could have been tricky. We were a third-tier side, he was the chairman, and the opponent was a non-league outfit looking for a cup scalp. We kept our nerve, winning 1-0 thanks to a late Lee Thorpe strike.

Phil Stant

Appointed 1 June 2000, win percentage 31.58%

Hartlepool United (H) 0-2

Reames stepped aside following relegation and a season of stagnation, with Phil Stant stepping up. Stant had worked as Reames ‘ right-hand man, and Westley’s before him. The opening day of the 2000/01 season, Stant’s first as the man in charge, ended in defeat, 2-0 at home against Hartlepool. Tony Lormor bagged one for Hartlepool.

Alan Buckley

Appointed 28 June 2001, win percentage 23.19%

Mansfield Town (A) 3-2

Alan Buckley wasn’t a popular City manager, but when he took over, we hadn’t won away for 11 months. A trip to Field Mill looked tricky; we were second from bottom. 16 points behind the 11th-placed Stags. Leading 3-0 on the hour, we ended up hanging on for a 3-2 win. Buckley won twice more in a week, pushing us up to 18th, six clear of the drop.

Keith Alexander

Appointed 5 May 2002, win percentage 38.03%

Kidderminster Harriers (A) 1-1

Back from the brink, Keith’s first game might have had zero expectations placed upon it. All fans wanted was for us to finish outside the bottom two; anything above that was going to be amazing. We recruited from non-league and battened down the hatches. Richard Logan scored to earn us a 1-1 draw at Kidderminster, tenth the season before, with Dene Cropper sent off late on. Nine months later, we were one game away from promotion.

John Schofield

Appointed 15 June 2006, win percentage 41.18%

Notts County (H) 1-1

It seemed a while before we saw another first game, and when we did, it was another draw. John Schofield had been with the club for a while in different capacities, and Adie Moses gave us an opening day lead, only for Jeff Hughes’ own goal to level things.

Peter Jackson

Appointed 30 October 2007, win percentage 34.78%

Chester City (H) 0-1

We were back on the sack train 14 months later, and in came a big name for the level, Peter Jackson. His personality was even bigger, and his first game was memorable. Chester City were second; their team bus got stuck in traffic, and the game kicked off 55 minutes late. Tony Dinning scored after a weak decision resulted in a penalty for them, and we remained in the bottom two.

Chris Sutton

Appointed 28 September 2009, win percentage 27.45%

Aldershot Town (H) 1-0

I could have been harsh here. Sutton was in the stands watching as we lost 3-0 to Notts County on September 29th, but he didn’t begin work until a day later. His actual first game was Aldershot at the Bank, a 1-0 win courtesy of Sergio Torres, signed on loan just days before.

Steve Tilson

Appointed 15 October 2010, win percentage 29.73%

Shrewsbury Town (A) 0-2

Shrewsbury were on a four-game winless run, but picked up a first win in six as we went down 2-0 to a brace just before half-time in Tilson’s first game in charge.

David Holdsworth

Appointed 31 October 2011, win percentage 29.58%

Alfreton Town (H) 1-1

Another October, another manager, this time ‘Reg’ Holdsworth, a man brought in to save us from sliding into the National League North. His first task, to get us past the FA Cup qualifying round.

A 1-1 draw at the Bank did not achieve this, nor did the defeat in the replay three days later. We’d only beaten them 3-1 a fortnight before in Steve Tilson’s last win. Dark days.

Gary Simpson

Appointed 27 February 2013, win percentage 39.66%

Woking (A) 1-1

Simmo returned to set us on the way towards redemption. He was the first figure of the National League days who felt familiar, like the club had a grip on the past. I didn’t rate him as a manager, but he did turn things around, and after he arrived, relegation never really felt like a threat. His first game was a trip to Woking, and a 1-1 draw.

Chris Moyses

Appointed 3 November 2014, win percentage 34.38%

Altrincham (H) 1-2

A draw got Simmo the sack, 3-3 at Forest Green after being 3-0 up, so out he went, and in came Chris Moyses. He got the job officially on December 8th, but took caretaker charge after Simmo left. The first game of that spell was a 2-1 defeat at home against Altrincham.

Danny Cowley

Appointed 12 May 2016, win percentage 53.98%

Woking (A) 3-1

The dawning of a new era. Away at Woking, August 2016. I didn’t expect an explosive start, but we got it. Adam Marriott put us ahead, and while the Cards came back, a Matt Rhead brace resulted in a 3-1 win. From tiny acorns…

Michael Appleton

Appointed 23 September 2019, win percentage 38.46%

Blackpool (A) 1-2

When Dan and Nick left, we crumbled, losing 6-0 to Oxford in the last game of Jamie McCombe’s caretaker spell. Michael Appleton stepped up, and we were 2-0 down in 21 minutes away at Blackpool. We lost 2-1, then lost his first home game against Manchester United Under 21s.

Mark Kennedy

Appointed 12 May 2022, win percentage 34.25%

Exeter City (H) 1-1

The first game of Mark Kennedy’s reign was (shock) a draw. Sam Nombe put Exeter City 1-0 up, and Tom Hopper levelled just after half time.

Michael Skubala

Appointed 13 November 2023, win percentage 50.71%

Stevenage (A) 0-1

Michael Skubala’s first game was tough, away at Stevenage, and we lost 1-0 in a typical Stevenage display. Things did change, but even Michael’s opening few fixtures were an eye opener.

All the first games in the last 40 years