I recall once being at a Lincoln game and hearing boos as we brought a player on. I'm pretty sure it was Morgan Whittaker, but I also recall vehement clapping and cheering when Jovon Makama was brought off in a game. Just 12 months ago, there were people who would have been happy to see him go out to the National League on loan.

City visit Orient on Saturday, and one thing we might just see is a goal glut. Five goals, even seven in a game, have been known against Orient, and while I'm not sure we'll see a lot tomorrow, it has been a happy hunting ground for City. In the last 30 years, we've had a couple of 3-2 wins, they've won 3-2 and 5-0, and we didn;t play each other at all for 17 years!

'Rising Bournemouth' were the Imps' upcoming opponents 50 years ago. They were described as Fourth Division giants, and they would go on to finish sixth. No small ask for City.

The Imps are looking to head to Orient and avenge last season's 3-2 defeat, a task that won't be easy. Ritchie Wellens' side are not the play-off chasers they were last season, but they're always a threat. He sets teams up well, and they're often slow starters. In our two games in the previous season, we took six points, but only led for a minute of normal time across both games.

As City face a run of five consecutive away games, it is being claimed elsewhere that they could actually become the first EFL club to play six consecutive away games should the Doncaster Rovers fixture in November be called off.   Where that claim has come from is unknown as even if City do play six on the spin away from Sincil Bank it will not even be a club record as on two previous occasions the travelling faithful, as Chris Ashton calls them, have faced seven away games before Sincil Bank welcomed the team home.

There is just one round of games left in our EFL Trophy group, and while it is still everything to play for, qualification for the next round is more or less assured, once again. City have only failed to get out of the group stages once since coming back into the EFL in 2017/18, and that was in 2019/20. That season, we also had…

City’s fading promotion dream flickered back to life in East London as John Beck’s patched-up side battled to a dramatic 3-2 win over Leyton Orient in March, 1997. It was a bruising, breathless afternoon at Brisbane Road, the sort that defined Beck’s Lincoln in that era: full of heart, power, and defiance against the odds. The Imps arrived in London clinging to faint hopes of reaching the play-offs, needing both results elsewhere and a performance of their own to stay in contention.

October is always a difficult time for news. Transfer stuff drops off, and management changes aren't quite as frequent as later in the season. That's not to say there isn't something to talk about - we've got a new contract for a rumoured Imps target, and a Devon derby coming up. All this, and more in your Stacey West League One latest.

The latest meeting of Lincoln City’s Fans Advisory Board, held before the home fixture with Exeter City, centred on the impact of recent incidents of discriminatory chanting and anti-social behaviour on the matchday experience. Representatives from Chelsea Pride, Chelsea, and a Lincoln family directly affected by the events attended to share their experiences, describing the distress and embarrassment caused to both sets of supporters.

Imps fans will be utterly delighted to hear that Ian Evatt has returned to League One. Blackpool have confirmed the appointment of Evatt as their new head coach this morning, handing the 43-year-old a contract running until June 2028 and marking an emotional return to Bloomfield Road for the promotion-winning former defender. Of course, we remember him from his time and Bolton, where he played the role of a beefcake Steve Evans, always the victim, putting out sides that were annoyingly good and annoyingly adept at the dark arts.

How many pre-seasons have we faced thinking we need a 20-goal striker? In fact, the era of the 20-goal striker is coming to an end. In the entire EFL last season, only two players hit 20 goals in the league — Charlie Kelman and Michael Cheek. In modern times, the secret to success doesn't lie in having one player scoring all the goals.

City earned another statement win at the Bank this weekend, overcoming a stubborn Stevenage side thanks to a composed, well-managed performance. It was a win that underlined City’s growing maturity under Michael Skubala – a match defined by structure, work rate, and the ability to do the basics better than their opponents. This is how it looked in numbers, for those who see the function in football over the artistry.

The first thing I note here is how the game is described as one of the best exhibitions of soccer that the great Maurice Burton has ever seen. Soccer. We give the Americans stick, but it's always been soccer here. A first-ever win at the Abbey Stadium, and we returned to the top after Tranmere's 3-0 victory against Swindon Town the night before.

I've said it a million times, I liked the man, but it will surprise nobody to hear that Michael Appleton joked he had turned into a “grumpy old man” before Shrewsbury Town’s 1–0 win over Crawley Town. Those anti-Appleton supporters only really ever saw that side of him anyway, and after a horror start to life in League Two, it felt like his job might be on the line.

Former Imps loanee Joe Morrell has officially retired from football. The 28-year-old has been injured for almost two years now, after a piece of cartilage broke off his left knee while playing for Pompey. Despite fighting back recently, a trial at Plymouth didn't result in a contract, and he's now officially retiring. "This is not something that I ever thought that I would be writing at the age of 28, but today I’ve officially retired from professional football.

The Imps have recalled forward Bola Okewoye from his loan spell at Billericay. He only moved down south on September 19th and has been used sparingly, making a single appearance according to Football Web Pages. Manager Danny Scopes, who arrived at the club on September 8th, seemingly preferred his other options to our youngster. That's prompted us to recall him, as confirmed by their Twitter page.

Notts County? Gillingham? Not likely. Graham Taylor was staying put (for now) and he proved that by penning a new deal 50 years ago today.

The 1964 betting scandal that engulfed English football seemingly centred on three Sheffield Wednesday players, Peter Swan, Tony Kay and David Layne, whose careers were derailed after a single wager collided with a wider match-fixing syndicate. Swan and Kay were big names. There is every chance Swan and Kay would have been members of the 1966 World Cup squad, which made them the headline figures. 

Episode 415 of the Stacey West Podcast Today, we're looking back at the Stevenage win, and asking if, maybe, Lincoln City are good now. We'll answer some questions, chat a bit about the FA Cup and have fun on the way. What's not to like? Spotify – Apple – Acast –

Former Lincoln City striker Matt Rhead was caught in the middle of extraordinary scenes as his Kidsgrove Athletic side saw their game against Avro abandoned following a mass brawl behind the goal. The Northern Premier League Division One West fixture, played at Avro’s Vestacare Stadium in Oldham, descended into chaos with the hosts leading 6–0 and just minutes left on the clock.

Stevenage were expected to be a stern test for City yesterday, but aside from a solitary chance in the second half, they offered nothing. With one defeat in the league all season, they came as the in form team, and while you can see why they're decent and challenging at the top, they didn't give us a full demonstration of their attacking prowess.

Michael Skubala was in a jubilant mood after yesterday's 1-0 victory against top-of-the-table Stevenage. City turned in an excellent display against Alex Revell's outfit, but after a flurry of chances in the first 15 minutes, the game remained 0-0. It took Rob Street's strike with 20 minutes to go to raise the roof at Sincil Bank and give us a first home win against Stevenage since Boxing Day 2018.

A number of former Imps were in action this weekend, with some notable performances. Harry Anderson topped the list of former Imps impressing this weekend – his first-half hat trick helped Colchester United to a 3-1 victory against Harrogate Town in the battle of clubs managed by former Imps. Jack Payne got an assist as The U’s fought back from conceding in the third minute.

I just wanted to frame us as a promotion candidate. Let's be honest, with Luton eight points behind us in 14th, they're not really a promotion rival, are they? Not right now. Anyway, they announced a former City coach as part of Jack Wilshere's staff yesterday. David Bridges departed the Imps in November last season, although to be honest, it felt more recent than that.

In our Stacey West group chat a few days ago, Emily struck a chord with me. It was after we'd announced Scott Fry was staying at the club, and she said, 'Stop doing and announcing things that make me think '…are we.. good? I can’t cope with the hope.' I couldn't help but have that in my head today. Up to (and including) this morning, part of me still thought that the surge up the table could be happening because of numerous things.