On this day in 1952, Lincoln City produced a superb away performance to beat Blackburn Rovers 2-0 at Ewood Park. Goals from Bob Gibson and Johnny Garvie secured the points in front of 25,000 spectators, but the scoreline did not fully reflect the Imps’ dominance.
City travelled to Lancashire with two reserves in their side, yet proceeded to run their hosts off their feet. Having also faced Blackburn at Sincil Bank just days earlier, the Imps completed an early Second Division double through the speed and accuracy of their football.
The Lincolnshire Echo captured the nature of the display with the emphatic headline, “Perpetual Motion Lincoln Paralyse Rovers”. Conditions did not initially appear conducive to quick football. Lincoln started more slowly than usual, with the ball struggling to move through the long grass at Ewood Park, but it took them only around 20 minutes to adapt.
Once they did, the Imps took control. Blackburn had played some good football during the reverse meeting at Sincil Bank, but this time they found themselves confronted by an energetic Lincoln side who attacked at every opportunity.
The Rovers wing-halves tried to exploit the square ball and made some early progress, only to encounter what was described as a “wall of red and white shirts” around the City penalty area. As soon as Lincoln regained possession, they poured forward and tore through the Blackburn defence “as if it were a wet paper bag”.
Wright and Owen were highlighted as two of City’s most influential players. They contributed at both ends of the pitch, dropping back to defend before bursting forward to prompt another attack.
Lincoln carried an early threat when Wright moved into the penalty area, although his final pass found Whittle in an offside position. Nightingale then tested Lowery with a firm effort before Crossan created an opening for Finch, who hesitated instead of shooting first time.
The breakthrough arrived after 29 minutes and there was nothing Blackburn could do to prevent it. Graham played the ball through to Whittle, whose well-judged square pass released Gibson to run forward and smash a shot into the roof of the net.
Blackburn attempted to respond before the interval. Nightingale broke through before Graham dispossessed him, while Rovers’ best opportunity came when Wharton’s cross was met by Les Graham.
His downward header looked dangerous, particularly with Lowery already on the ground, but the City goalkeeper reacted brilliantly. He stopped the ball on the goal line and managed to clear it, producing one of the most difficult saves a goalkeeper could be asked to make.
Lincoln resumed their assault after the break. Whittle struck the crossbar following a pass from Finch, while Suart then headed another effort off the line as the pressure continued to build.
Whittle subsequently saw both a header and a shot blocked, with Blackburn centre-forward Holmes dropping back towards his own penalty area in an attempt to help the defence. At the other end, Wright’s free kick led to a Crossan header which drifted wide.
City were creating chances with such regularity that even a Blackburn supporter sitting close to the Echo reporter conceded that Rovers could not continue to withstand the pressure. Lincoln soon increased the tempo again and continued to move forward in numbers.
Whittle struck the woodwork for a second time, with Suart heading the rebound away, before Whittle had two more attempts blocked. Holmes also fired wide, but Blackburn were rarely able to assemble a sustained spell of pressure.
Garvie finally added the second goal after 73 minutes. Whittle supplied the ball and, with centre-half Kelly paying more attention to Gibson than the play developing around him, Garvie collected possession near the edge of the penalty area.
His shot stayed low and gave Elvy no realistic chance. The Blackburn goalkeeper dived in vain, but was unable to prevent Lincoln from establishing the two-goal advantage their performance deserved.
The second goal appeared to finish the contest. Blackburn looked paralysed as the Imps used the width of the pitch intelligently and attacked time after time.
There were still moments when Rovers threatened to reduce the deficit. Finch tormented Suart with his pace before drawing Lowery from his goal and shooting, but Nightingale somehow got in the way and diverted the ball over the crossbar.
Lowery also saved a good header from Gibson before producing another excellent stop from Finch. City’s biggest escape came during the closing minutes when Crossan advanced down the left and shot after drawing Lowery from his line, only for the ball to strike Nightingale and fly over.
Lincoln’s defence had nevertheless been in excellent form throughout the evening. Lowery impressed in goal, the full-backs kept Blackburn’s wingers under control and Emery successfully subdued Holmes, who had scored a hat-trick in his previous outing.
Wright and Owen were credited with controlling much of the match from the wing-half positions. In attack, the inside-forwards continually created openings, while the wingers offered width and Gibson’s central presence caused Kelly considerable difficulty in the air.
By the final 20 minutes, Blackburn appeared to be on their knees. The Echo concluded that the only possible criticism of Lincoln’s performance was that they should have scored six, which offered a clear indication of just how emphatic the victory had been.
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