Memory Match: Bristol City Beaten But Imps Braced For Player Departure

Lincoln City headed to Bristol in March 1982 with three successive wins behind us and good news about Wayne Turner. By the time the weekend was over, we had another victory, but the player who helped create it was being called back to Luton Town.

In the build-up, Turner, who had been at Sincil Bank on a series of loan deals since October, had agreed to stay for another month. Colin Murphy had reached an agreement with Luton manager David Pleat and the player to extend his spell until the beginning of April.

There was even hope that the arrangement might eventually become permanent. A transfer fee would still need to be settled, but the extension kept that possibility alive. For a side gathering momentum in the Third Division, retaining Turner was welcome news.

Phil Neale was fit again and back in the squad, although Murphy was expected to stick with the side that had beaten Doncaster in midweek. City had won three games without conceding and were travelling to face a Bristol City club whose financial problems had forced them to cancel the contracts of eight senior players.

The hosts had survived the immediate threat of liquidation, but further departures were looming. An £80,000 offer for goalkeeper Jan Moller from Toronto Blizzards had been accepted, with the deal expected to be completed after the weekend. Former Imp Mick Harford was unavailable through suspension.

For Lincoln, the task was to maintain our run against a young side fighting through a difficult season. The Ashton Gate pitch offered little assistance. Bumpy and uneven, it was still drying after an overnight soaking which had briefly put the fixture in doubt. Bristol began with enthusiasm, but their finishing rarely troubled Dave Felgate. Les Carter provided their clearest threat, forcing a low save before the interval and sending a cross-shot wide after it.

City were too strong and too well organised for the home side. Bristol could frustrate us in midfield and keep the score close, but Lincoln supplied the decisive piece of quality. It arrived in the 35th minute, after a spell of increasing pressure. Glenn Cockerill slipped a pass through for Turner on the left. He beat his man, moved towards the byline and pulled the ball back for Tony Cunningham, who swept home first time.

The player whose extended stay had brought good news before the game had helped deliver the winner.

It was Cunningham’s 12th goal of the season, taking him back ahead of George Shipley in the club’s scoring charts. He had also scored the opener in our 2-0 victory over Bristol Rovers at Eastville, giving him another decisive contribution on a visit to the city.

Bristol offered little indication that they would recover. Their rigid 4-4-2 remained largely unchanged after falling behind, and Lincoln’s defence dealt with what came its way. Steve Thompson was outstanding despite a back injury which had required a fitness test before kick-off. The experience and composure of our defence proved too much for Bristol, helping extend City’s unbeaten sequence to ten games.

There could have been more goals late on. Aidan McCaffery twice thwarted City, while Moller marked his farewell with a double save from Cockerill, blocking a powerful drive before dropping on the loose ball as the Lincoln player followed in.

The goalkeeper received a standing ovation from the home supporters at the end. City could afford to let him enjoy it. A 1-0 win in front of 6,341 had brought a fourth successive victory, another clean sheet and three points which left us fourth. With the other sides in the leading seven dropping points, our promotion prospects had improved.

However, by Monday, Turner’s immediate future had changed. Injuries sustained in Luton’s Friday fixture had prompted the Second Division leaders to recall him for their trip to Barnsley. After 18 league appearances for Lincoln, during which he had finished on the losing side only twice, he was suddenly unavailable for our next game at Preston.

Murphy explained that Pleat had been co-operative throughout the loan arrangement, but Luton’s circumstances had changed.

“I will be discussing the matter with the chairman and directors. Because Luton Town had an injury crisis, which has also involved them pulling Ricky Hill out of an international match in Bilbao, we have had no option but to comply with their request.”

There was still a possibility that Turner would return. The plan was for Luton to use him at Barnsley before sending him back to complete his loan, although those negotiations remained unresolved.

“We shall look at the situation again after tomorrow’s respective matches, Lincoln at Preston, and Luton Town at Barnsley,” added Murphy.

Neale’s return to fitness softened the immediate selection problem, but it was a sharp change from the optimism of the build-up. Before the game, City had secured another month of Turner and could contemplate something longer. At Ashton Gate, he helped make the winning goal. By Monday, we were waiting to discover whether he would be coming back.

He didn’t, and the Imps ended up missing out on him on deadline day a few weeks later, although we did sign David Hughes from Scunthorpe, David Rodgers from Torquay and John Ward.