Lincoln and Rochdale meet for the 116th time on Saturday, a rivalry that extends back a century to the earliest days of Division Three (North). Lincoln won the first-ever game between the two clubs on 4 February 1922, but then lost seven of the next eight as Dale established early dominance. However, Lincoln now have 44 wins to Rochdale’s 38 due to a run of just four defeats in the last 27 meetings. Remarkably, only seven of the previous 115 matches have finished goalless, which bodes well for an exciting game on Saturday.
Lincoln’s biggest win stands at 7-1 in 2006-07 (with Matt Gilks in the Dale goal), while Rochdale can point to a 7-3 win on Christmas Day 1926. That game is notable for several reasons, not the least of which is that they had set their club record victory in their previous game (8-1 against Chesterfield). Rochdale scored 72 goals at home that season on their way to a second-place finish in Division Three North, with striker Albert Whitehurst setting a club scoring record with 44. Whitehurst scored five against Chesterfield and followed up with three more against Lincoln; to complete a fantastic week, he added two more in a 3-2 return win at Lincoln two days later.
Playing connections are relatively common, with Dean Walling, Peter Costello, Matt Dickins, Lance Key, Mark Bailey, Alan Johnson, David Flitcroft, Paul Connor, Matt Gilks, Marcus Richardson, Louis Dodds, Guy Branston, Rene Howe, Lee Thorpe, Clark Keltie, Ciaran Toner, Scott Spencer, Anthony Elding, Ashley Grimes, Matty Pearson, Ben Smith, Jack Muldoon, Billy Knott and Jordan Williams appearing for both clubs since 1990.
Have a go at our Lincoln City v Rochdale Quiz below:
QUIZ: Lincoln City v Rochdale (13/03/2021) – Can You Get All 10 Correct?
HAVE A GO:https://t.co/g6k34XJSsB#ImpsAsOne #ProudToBeImps #RAFC pic.twitter.com/rqUpNpHLop
— Vital Lincoln City (@VitalLincoln) March 11, 2021
