On this day in 1967, Lincoln City were preparing for one of the biggest nights Sincil Bank had witnessed in years, with the visit of Newcastle United already generating enough interest for the club to consider making the match all-ticket.
The Imps had been handed a home tie against Newcastle in the second round of the League Cup, with the match scheduled for Wednesday, September 13. It was a particularly attractive draw for a Fourth Division club, bringing First Division opposition to Lincoln at a time when such occasions were relatively rare.
The reaction was immediate, and the Lincolnshire Echo from August 26th was already brimming with opinion. Although the draw had only been announced in the Echo on the Thursday afternoon, supporters had already begun telephoning the club and visiting Sincil Bank to ask about tickets. Before the team left for their league fixture at Workington, a queue had formed outside the secretary’s office and the telephone was reportedly in constant use.
That prompted the City directors to arrange a meeting for the following week, at which they would consider making the Newcastle match all-ticket. Today, with online ticketing, allocated seating and strict stadium capacities, an all-ticket match does not feel especially remarkable. In 1967, it carried rather more significance. Supporters would ordinarily arrive at Sincil Bank and pay at the turnstile, but the level of interest in Newcastle’s visit created the possibility of demand having to be managed in advance.
Making the fixture all-ticket would allow City to control admission, reduce the danger of huge numbers arriving without any certainty of getting inside and, crucially, secure much of the gate money before the night itself. That was important for a club whose income could be affected by something as simple as bad weather.
The contemporary report suggested City could potentially sell tickets at the home matches against Halifax Town and Darlington, which immediately preceded the cup tie. It would have been a straightforward way of placing tickets directly into the hands of regular supporters.
There was, however, also a warning. The suggestion that admission prices might be increased was described as something the directors should put “right out of their minds”. Such a move, it was argued, would have been “a stab in the back for the loyal supporters”.
That captures the balancing act rather nicely. Newcastle represented a chance for City to earn a significant amount of money, but the occasion had been created by the team and the people who watched them every week. An all-ticket arrangement could be justified as a practical measure, but using the demand to charge those supporters more would have been viewed very differently.
A Special Draw
Newcastle’s name carried considerable weight back then, as it does now. They had finished 20th in the First Division during the previous season, but they remained one of the biggest and best-supported clubs in the country.
There was also a strong personal connection. Bill Anderson, the man who had managed Lincoln City for 17 years, was a Geordie and had previously spoken of his desire to see the Imps drawn against Newcastle. City had faced the likes of Burnley, Wolverhampton Wanderers and Sheffield United during his time in charge, but a meeting with Newcastle had eluded him.
The irony was that the draw finally arrived after Anderson had left the club. Ron Gray, who had initially joined City as Anderson’s assistant, was now in charge and preparing to lead the Imps into the tie. Gray’s team had earned their opportunity with a dramatic 3-2 victory at Mansfield Town in the first round. That result was notable in itself, coming against a side managed by former City favourite Roy Chapman, but the reward transformed it into one of the most important victories of the early Gray era.
The Newcastle fixture was expected to be City’s biggest gate for several years. A previous FA Cup meeting with Sheffield United had attracted around 18,000 supporters, and there was confidence that a combination of good weather and encouraging league form could produce something similar.
Those hopes proved slightly optimistic, but the attendance of 15,454 was still comfortably Lincoln’s highest of the season. More importantly, those inside Sincil Bank witnessed an upset.
When the game finally took place, Newcastle took the lead through Ollie Burton with 19 minutes remaining, but City responded in remarkable fashion. Jim Grummett equalised in the 81st minute before George Peden converted a penalty four minutes later, completing a 2-1 victory over their First Division visitors.
It was the start of an outstanding League Cup run. City went on to beat Torquay United 4-2 before facing Derby County in the fourth round. After drawing 1-1 at the Baseball Ground, the replay at Sincil Bank attracted 23,196, which remains the club’s record home attendance.
That was a fantastic evening. Remember it well.