By Nathan Jackson
May 3 2005

Ahead of Saturday's game against Yeovil, we look at results against the southerners. Yeovil are almost guaranteed of promotion whilst the Imps have secured a playoff place so let's just hope the game is as entertaining as the 3 games played between the clubs so far.

Lincoln and Yeovil have only ever met 3 times before and if I'm going to be perfectly honest, I enjoy the games against Yeovil because they're often highly entertaining games where anything can happen. The first was of these 3 games was played on 29th November 2003 when the Imps travelled down to Huish Park. The first talking point came on 10 minutes when Marriott brought down Kirk Jackson to give the new comers a penalty. However, Marriott guessed correctly and palmed the ball away, however, the ball switched direction and started heading back across goal and almost snook in before going out for a corner. City took the lead 5 minutes into the second half when work from Fletcher saw good interlink play with Yeo and the latter put the ball away for only his 2nd away goal for the Imps.

Yeovil were level soon after in controversial circumstances when Gavin Williams sent the ball in from a corner which Pluck headed in. It was controversial becuase the corner was clearly taken from outside the corner quadrant. Stansfield gave the Glovers the lead 5 minutes from time from a goalmouth scramble before Gosling rounded Marriott in injury time and tapped the ball in to give them a 3-1 win and 3 points.

The Glovers came up to Sincil Bank on the final game of last season needing either a win, however, if Northampton had won, it would mean the Glovers would have to beat the Imps 5-0 to get in the playoffs at City expense. Again the first half was quiet but the 2nd half was amoungst the best ever since at Sincil Bank.

Knowing Northampton were winning, Yeovil pushed forward and a goalmouth scramble saw Stansfield prod the ball into an empty net whilst Marriott was recovering from an attempted save. Jake Edwards made it 2-0 minute after yet another scramble from a corner saw Edwards smash the ball against the underside of the bar and went in off Mark Bailey's back. City got back into it soon when Aron Wilford headed in for what turned out to be his only ever goal for the Imps. Yeo thundered a shot in from close range minutes later to bring the score to 2-2. However, Kevin Ellison fouled Williams on the edge of the area and Williams scored the goal although the body language from their players and fans made it obvious, they hadn't made the playoffs despite this win and an impressive first season in the football league came to an end.

This season, the fixtures between the two sides were on the corresponding weekends to 2003/4 but with the game in reverse order. So on 27th November, Yeovil came to the Bank and were far from what we had seen in the previous season. Marcus Richardson raced forward and tapped the ball past Weale to give the Imps a 1-0 lead. Williams was then sent off for the visitors for a dangerous challenge of Marriott and within a minute, GTF had given the Imps a 2-0 advantage just before half time. Not long after the break, Futcher was sent off for City as he fouled a Yeovil playeron route to goal. However, it didn't phase City who went 3-0 up when Richardson headed home Yeo's cross. Only a late Skiverton goal gave the travelling fans something to cheer about when he tapped in from close range.