29th August 1981, I was 12 years old and we were on holiday, staying at my Uncles pub The George in Middle Wallop in Hampshire. That day we were away at Portsmouth so obviously we went Fratton Park. I have no memory whatsoever of the game, other than it was 1-1. I could google and get an overview of the game, but that would be both false and irrelevant to the importance of that day and what it led to 22 years later.
As clear as it happened yesterday I remember the sports report music on BBC radio 2 and as it quietened to back ground music (still the same today on Radio 5) the reporter then announced that Swansea City had beaten Leeds United 5-1 and had gone from the 4th Division (League 2 for the youngsters) to the top of League Division 1 (The Premier League) inside 4 seasons. I remember turning to Dad and saying to him "wow, I'd love to see Lincoln in division one, that would be like a dream.". His response was, "Wembley Son, I'd love to see Lincoln play at Wembley, that would be a dream". Back then you got to Wembley in either the FA Cup or League Cup finals, no play offs.
Sadly, at the ridiculously young age of 56 Dad died of a rare form of lung cancer caused by the years of working as a plater welder and breathing in toxic fumes omitted from welding. In 1996 at the age of 27 I was fatherless.
Between 1996 and early 2002 I'd met and married my wife (Now Ex) and moved to Warrington, Cheshire. Jenny knew that I supported Lincoln City and she even accompanied me to the odd game that we played away in the North West. I didn't get to Sincil Bank for a few years and she had no idea what The Imps meant to me and to be fair I don't really think I knew what it meant until March 2002 when ITV Digital went into administration and Rob Bradley announced that we were, well to put it in it's simplest terms, F*@ked.
Of an evening Jenny would watch one of the the Soap operas or another and i would go to the office and log on. I used to be on the original JV Message board and that's where I found out. A few of us, I don't know who, as we all use pseudonyms, we were throwing around ideas about raising and making money, the soap had finished and Jenny came in and asked why I was crying, I hadn't realised that I was, but as i explained to her what had happened I was uncontrollable with emotion. It became clear to me through that evening that Lincoln City FC, The Mighty Imps was me and my Dad, it was what he and I did together, it was our bond, it was what we both loved, it made our weekend win or lose, Lincoln City FC kept him alive, it meant so much to me before (though i didn't know it), it meant everything to me at that moment, Lincoln City was Sam Price, I couldn't let it die we had to fight.
Over the coming weeks we fought, we raised money, with Robs permission I
spoke to Everton FC and blagged a bucket day at a home game at Goodison to raise funds for 'Save the Imps' Jenny and her family manning buckets, BBC East Midlands filmed Rob and I for a piece on 'What effect the ITV Digital collapse would have on football', we went to Birmingham for the Court case. We survived by the skin of our teeth. If memory serves me correctly Rob received a call from the Coop bank accepting the CVA 5 Minutes before the case was up in front of the judge.
Over to Keith Alexander 'The Great', no money, no players and favourites for relegation. Fast forward to May 14th 2003, Simon 'The goal machine' Yeo and the Dambusters celebration. I remember driving across M62 back towards Warrington probably about 11pm that night still buzzing from the atmosphere, the astonishment of what Keith had achieved with a bunch of non league misfits we'd never heard of in August and the prospect of promotion, It was then that I remembered 29th August 1981, I had to pull over to the hard shoulder, I just couldn't drive in that emotional state, I was going to live out and achieve my Fathers dream to watch Lincoln City at Wembley. OK it was Cardiff, but it was defacto Wembley.
Checkatrade was incredible and goes down in history and I would take nothing away for the club, team or supporters for that being the moment.
2003. thank you Rob, thank you Keith (RIP), thank you Jenny, thank you to all those that raised money, gave money and gave time. But most of all thank you Dad for taking me to Sincil Bank in 1978 and telling me what your dream as an Imps fan was on 28th August 1981. I'm so proud of having lived it out on your behalf. He would have loved the last three seasons.
