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“Lincoln had lost their Football League place to Grimsby at the AGM in June 1911 after finishing bottom of the Second Division.”

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“Lincoln had lost their Football League place to Grimsby at the AGM in June 1911 after finishing bottom of the Second Division. The vote was: Barnsley: 28 (re-elected), Grimsby Town: 18 (elected to Division Two), Lincoln City: 17 (not re-elected), Darlington, Chesterfield Town, Rochdale, Hartlepools United: 15 votes in total.”

If you haven’t already had a go at the quizzes, they can be found here: Quiz No.1, Quiz No.2, Quiz No.3, Quiz No.4, Quiz No.5, Quiz No.6, Quiz No.7, Quiz No.8, Quiz No.9Quiz No.10, Quiz No.11Quiz No.12, Quiz No.13, Quiz No.14, Quiz No.15, Quiz No.16, Quiz No.17 and Quiz No.18.

I know the answers for Quiz No.11 are available below, but if you haven’t had a go, don’t read the answers and give it a go along with the other quizzes!

1. Who was the last player to score 30 goals in a season for Lincoln?

a) John Ward
b) Andy Graver
c) Derek Bell
d) Dixie McNeil

Believe it or not, it was Andy Graver almost 70 years ago. Not only did Graver hit 39 goals in the 1951-52 Third Division North championship side, he did it in just 38 appearances, thereby averaging slightly better than a goal per game.

Ward and Bell came very close, with 29 each in 1975-76 and 1982-83 respectively. Although a consistent scorer, McNeil’s best season was 21 in 1972-73.

2. What is Alf Horne the only Lincoln City player to have done?

a) Score a hat-trick of penalties
b) Play for all three of Lincolnshire’s Football League clubs in the same season
c) Play in two matches on the same day
d) Score a hat-trick of own goals

Horne scored a hat-trick of penalties in City’s 3-0 home win over Stockport County on 16 September 1935. The win moved City up to second place, a point behind leaders Tranmere.

3. Where did Lincoln’s Six Years In Purgatory begin and end?

a) Macclesfield
b) Wrexham
c) Southport
d) Maidstone

Haig Avenue, Southport. City’s first game after relegation took place on 13 August 2011, and resulted in a 2-2 draw; not a bad opening result, considering Southport were to finish seventh that season. The crowd of 1,687 was boosted by a good number of Imps, who were cautiously optimistic about the season ahead. That disappeared pretty quickly, didn’t it?

And now the good bit. City’s final game in the Conference took place on 29 April 2017, and was the scene of great celebration as 2,458 Imps turned out to thank their conquering heroes at the end of an incredible season. A win would take the Imps over 100 points, but a damp squib of a match against relegated Southport produced only a 1-1 draw. The attendance of 3,462 was the highest at Haig Avenue since Southport left the Football League in 1978.

And it is worth noting that Alan Power was the only player to appear in both matches, a testament to his commitment to Lincoln City through the most testing time in the club’s history.

4. Which player successfully sued the Lincolnshire Chronicle for defamation in 1930?

a) Evan Jenkins
b) Jack Kendall
c) Tom Maidment
d) Andrew York

And we thought the litigious society was a modern thing! Defender Andrew York sued the Lincolnshire Chronicle over a cartoon published the week after a 1-0 defeat at (ironically) York City on 22 February 1930. York claimed the cartoon blamed him for the defeat, and caused the fans to heckle him during the next home game against Crewe. He claimed it had affected his health.

York won the case in June 1930, and was awarded £200 compensation (a considerable sum, equivalent to around £13,000 today). Lincoln were not amused however, and it ended York’s Football League career. His next appearance was in the colours of Newark Town.

5. City’s average league attendance of 9,005 in 2018-19 was the highest since when?

a) 1975-76
b) 1959-60
c) 1951-52
d) 1982-83

The highest since 1959-60, when the average was 10,733 in the Second Division. The average in 1975-76 was 8,401, while 1982-83 was a surprisingly low 4,790.

6. Which player was suspended by the club in the summer of 1978 for failing to return for pre-season training?

a) Terry Cooper
b) Glenn Cockerill
c) Phil Hubbard
d) Phil Neale

Phil Neale, who was the victim of some insensitive handling by the club. A gentleman’s agreement existed between Lincoln City and Worcestershire: if Lincoln were challenging for honours, Neale would stay with the club and report late for the cricket season; if Worcestershire were challenging, he would stay there and report late for the football season.

It worked for both parties, but unfortunately not for Willie Bell. In the 1978 cricket season, Worcestershire were challenging for the John Player (Sunday) League title and Neale naturally preferred to stay there. Lincoln pointed to his contract and dug their heels in; Neale was suspended by the the club, and was treated as persona non grata when he returned. It was only when Bell was sacked in November and Colin Murphy arrived, that Neale was restored to the side. However, his season was effectively wrecked and he made only 12 appearances before returning to Worcester at the end of April 1979.

Incidentally, their challenge for the John Player League fell away in the closing weeks, and they finished fourth.

7. Why did representatives of Lincoln City, Darlington, Chesterfield Town, Hartlepools United and Rochdale meet in June 1911?

a) To request the Football League to admit them to an expanded First Division
b) To propose the formation of a Third Division
c) To request regular financial support from First Division clubs
d) To propose exemption until the third round of the FA Cup for Second Division clubs

Lincoln had lost their Football League place to Grimsby at the AGM in June 1911 after finishing bottom of the Second Division. The vote was:

Barnsley: 28 (re-elected)
Grimsby Town: 18 (elected to Division Two)
Lincoln City: 17 (not re-elected)
Darlington, Chesterfield Town, Rochdale, Hartlepools United: 15 votes in total

The five unsuccessful clubs immediately held a meeting to discuss the formation of a new Third Division; the idea was put to the members of the Football League and received enthusiastic support by 34 votes to 6. The Football League advertised for clubs with the proviso that a minimum of sixteen clubs would be required to make it viable; furthermore, those sixteen clubs would be second class citizens – they would not be given the right to vote at AGMs, other than on the issue of election of clubs to its own division.

Applications were received from twenty clubs, thereby fulfilling the Football League’s requirement: Lincoln City, Chesterfield Town, Rochdale, Darlington, Hartlepools United, Port Vale, Rotherham Town, Crewe Alexandra, Walsall, Burton Town, Macclesfield, St Helens Town, Southport, South Liverpool, Portsmouth, South Shields, Southend United, Cardiff City, Croydon Common and Merthyr Town.

Guess what? When the proposal to form a new division with these twenty teams was put to the Football League’s members, they voted against the idea by 26 votes to 11.

8. Which City player married Olympic medallist Heather Armitage?

a) John McClelland
b) Joe Buick
c) Alan Withers
d) Russell Green

Winger John McClelland, who became Armitage’s second husband.

Armitage was one of the top sprinters in the world throughout the 1950s, winning a bronze medal in the 4x100m relay at the 1952 Olympics, and the silver in the same event in 1956. She also won silver at the 1954 Commonwealth Games, a gold in 1958, and also took the 100m individual title at the 1958 European Championships.

Now aged 87 (Armitage) and 85, they live in Hayling Island.

9. What did Graham Taylor later cite as the reason why he left Lincoln for Watford in 1977?

a) He was a huge fan of Elton John
b) He felt he had to be closer to London to further his managerial career
c) The lack of ambition of Lincoln’s board
d) The bigger crowds at Watford

The lack of ambition of Lincoln’s board. For all their apparent enthusiasm over promotion in 1976, within a year Taylor was gone.

10. Which player finished leading scorer five seasons in a row?

a) Gordon Hobson
b) Mick Harford
c) Alan Power
d) Lee Thorpe

Lee Thorpe, who finished top in the promotion season of 1997-98 (14), 1998-99 (10, with Tony Battersby), 1999-2000 (17), 2000-01 (13) and 2001-02 (13 again). No other Lincoln player has finished top scorer five seasons in a row, the next best being four seasons in a row by Johnny Campbell between 1935 and 1938.

In total, Thorpe scored 66 goals in 222 appearances for the club.

Writer: Scotimp

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