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

1: Pawel Abbot Offside

Before the play-off heartbreak later that spring, Huddersfield Town had already beaten us with a goal that became notorious well beyond Lincoln, and is probably the worst decision to ever go against us. Our Third Division visit on 21 February 2004 was level at 1-1 after Marcus Richardson’s opener and Efe Sodje’s equaliser, before Pawel Abbott supplied one of the most outrageous winners many Imps have ever witnessed.

Abbott was yards offside when Sodje headed the ball forward, with contemporary accounts putting the distance at around 35 yards. As the ball came back towards Alan Marriott, the goalkeeper tried to control it, only for Abbott to rob him and slot it into the net. The assistant referee had flagged, but George Cain overruled him after consultation and allowed the goal to stand.

Cain’s explanation was that the ball had deflected off a Lincoln defender, but Keith Alexander pointed out that Abbott was already clearly offside when Sodje played it forward. Alexander called it “a diabolical decision” and promised the referee a zero in his report, while chairman Rob Bradley formally complained to the Football League. The goal gave Huddersfield a 2-1 victory over direct promotion rivals, leaving us empty-handed because an enormous offside had somehow survived both a raised flag and a discussion between the officials.

Had the goal not stood, come May, we’d have had a trip to Mansfield Town, whom we’d beaten twice already that season, aggregate 6-1, rather than Huddersfield Town. We wouldn’t have gone to the McApline for another injustice (see decision 10) and maybe, just maybe. Keith’s side go up. If we did, perhaps we hang on to Taylor-Fletcher, Gain, Butcher, Morgan, Marriott, McCombe and even Kevin Ellison. Who knows what might have happened.