Ten Of The All-Time Worst Refereeing Decisions To Go Against Lincoln City

Referees are always to blame for Lincoln City’s misfortune in some people’s eyes.

I am critical of officials at times, but they have a tough job. Having once run the line for Fishtoft Under-13s away at Bardney, I know how tough it can be, so multiply that by thousands, and I get it; I really do. Referees are human, pure and simple, and they make mistakes.

Sometimes, they make a mistake that costs us a game, such as at Watford last week. Would we have beaten Watford? No, probably not. Would we have lost if they hadn’t scored? When you lose a game 1-0, and the ‘one’ is chalked off, you get 0-0, and so no, we wouldn’t.

Sometimes, they make a mistake, which allows you some breathing space. Birmingham would probably have beaten us anyway, but Ethan Laird’s kick to Ben House’s face gave us refuge, a barrier to ask ‘what if’. QPR could have had that, had Bobby Madeley sent off Conor McGrandles in the first few seconds of our trip to Loftus Road. One of those was a mistake, with the official against Birmingham suggesting Ben wasn’t kicked in the head, despite his nose being spread across his face. Madeley knew the magnitude of the challenge and chose a yellow.

Sometimes, they just mess up so badly that everyone in the ground knows it. It’s like when you see a car crash unfolding, but the only person who doesn’t is the driver. Sometimes, the decision is so bad, the moment so clear-cut, that it is exasperating and enraging in equal measure. Sometimes, those decisions cost you a place at Wembley, an easier play-off semi-final, or, in some instances, a place in the play-offs.

Here are ten of those moments that have left Lincoln City fans so angry, it still hurts today.

10: Andy Booth Dive

I know when you started this article, Huddersfield 2004 will have been in your head. The only question will be which decision comes first.

Keith Alexander’s Imps looked to be heading back to Cardiff in 2004, after the heroics of 02/03. Trailing Huddersfield Town 2-1 from the first leg of our Third Division play-off semi-final, we turned the tie around through quickfire goals from Richard Butcher and Mark Bailey. Around 3,000 travelling supporters were celebrating a 2-0 lead on the night, 3-2 on aggregate, and the prospect of another final a year after the Bournemouth defeat.

Then a long ball over the top sent Jamie McCombe chasing Andy Booth, who went down in the penalty area. Referee Mike Pike awarded the spot-kick with his assistant’s backing, but from our perspective Booth’s theatrical tumble had manufactured a foul rather than exposed one. Their comms say ‘there was a trip on Andy Booth, a push on Andy Booth’ but looking back, in 2026, neither would be given. However, I am putting it at ten because I can see how it was given.

Danny Schofield converted to level the aggregate scores, and Rob Edwards struck with seven minutes remaining to make it 2-2 on the night and send Huddersfield through 4-3 overall. That was what made the decision so painful: we had overturned the deficit, quietened the home crowd and put ourselves in charge of the tie. One of Alexander’s strongest sides had been within reach of another promotion final, only for a fiercely disputed penalty to help wrestle the initiative away.