Here’s my usual look at three players that have turned out for both the Imps and Chesterfield. I usually go for those players that are a bit less ‘mainstream’ than the obvious….

Martin Gritton

Gritton played villain, hero and then villain again as he cropped up against City both before and after playing for us. His first real impact at Sincil Bank was to grab the goal that could have cost us our first ever play-off spot. He bagged early doors for Torquay as they threatened to ruin our party in May 2003. Of course, Simon Yeo’s late strike ensured that didn’t happen.

He later rocked up at Sincil Bank under Keith Alexander, coming for a nominal fee from Grimsby Town having managed just six goals for them. He immediately announced his arrival at Sincil Bank by bagging a goal in a 3-2 win at Stockport. He failed to score again that season. Keith Alexander left at the end of the year, but Gritton remained.

Early on in that season we played his old club Torquay and we were losing 1-0 into injury time. Paul Morgan got a dramatic equaliser, and then Martin Gritton got forward against his old club to bag a late, late winner. Cue delirium. As the season progressed his chances diminished. Whilst Mark Stallard and Jamie Forrester were scoring for fun he was loaned out to Mansfield Town to get some game time. Whilst at Mansfield he played against Torquay and for the second time that season hurt his old club, this time banging in a hat trick in a 5-0 victory.

He came back and curiously made two further Lincoln appearances in the two semi-final matches against Bristol Rovers. However, that was the last we saw of him as he left Lincoln and was replaced by Steve Torpey. Cracking business. While Torpey wasn’t scoring for Lincoln, Gritton bagged nine for Paul Ince’s Macclesfield side. I’m sure there is an irony there about swapping one striker still in his prime for another who couldn’t score in a London tower block, but I’m afraid it’s lost on me.

He scored 13 for Macclesfield in eighteen months before a move to Chesterfield. He did come back with them to play City but thankfully never managed a goal against us. He had goal less spells at Torquay, Yeovil and Stockport before retiring form the game.

Colin Larkin

Lively striker who showed so much promise at Kidderminster in 2001 that Mansfield shelled out £125k for him. 26 goals in just over 100 outings wasn’t the sort of return on their investment they wanted, but it made a name for him nonetheless. He joined Chesterfield and enjoyed two seasons of League One football although he drifted in and out of their side. He did score in a famous 2-1 League Cup win against West Ham, cancelling out Marlon Harewood’s opener. He stayed in League One with Northampton and despite not cementing a place in their side he managed another memorable League Cup goal as they drew 2-2 with Sunderland. His League One stint continued in three barren seasons with Hartlepool in which he scored just four times in 63 games.

That brought him up to 2012, and that is when Lincoln, managed by David Holdsworth, came knocking. At the time Holdsworth said: “We do require goals and Colin’s come for all the right reasons. He’s fit and ready to go, which is a really important factor. He’s a very good addition to our squad. It’s nice to be able to bring in a guy who’s 30 years old but very quick and very able. As a manager, it’s nice for me to be able to attract that type of player.”

He dropped down two divisions to sign for us in July 2012 and enjoyed a goal every three and a half games which, unlike most of Holdsworth’s signings, was a good contribution. He even hit a first half hat trick as we thrashed Dartford 4-2, then grabbed a last-minute winner from the spot against the same opposition in April. In total he netted eight times for Lincoln before leaving the club in 2013 to be closer to his North-East home. He featured for Gateshead as they lost out in the play-off final for a Football League spot, scoring against Grimsby in the semi-final.

Tony Lormor

Lormor joined the Imps from Newcastle United for a fee of £25,000, and went on to amass over 100 appearances. He netted on his League debut for City in a 1-0 win over Wrexham, and impressed immediately. As a young kid he was my favourite player, finishing top scorer in two of his first three seasons at the club, and only missing out to Gordon Hobson by one in his first season.

In his pomp Lormor was an excellent centre forward with a quick footballing brain and an instinct for being in the right place at the right time. He suffered injury set-backs at Lincoln that undoubtedly stopped him ascending the leagues.

His highlights were four goals as we thrashed Carlisle 6-2 in 1991, and a hat trick the following season as we despatched county rivals Scunthorpe 4-2 at Sincil Bank. Unfortunately, Tony suffered a cruciate knee ligament injury which forced him to miss the whole of the 1992/93 season, and after 18 months on the side-lines he never recovered his old form. He was released on a free transfer after making just 10 appearances the following season.

He was described by one fan in a copy of Deranged Ferret thus; “The biggest compliment I can pay him is that if he wasn’t a player I’m sure he’d be a supporter. In these days when players move from club to club at the drop of a hat and seem committed to only picking up wages it was nice to see someone who actually enjoyed playing football.”

He did regain his old form with Chesterfield, banging in 36 goals from 114 appearances for the Spireites. He played a role in their march to the FA Cup semi-finals in 1996/97, bagging a goal in the second round against Scarborough. By the time they reached the semis though he’d lost his place through injury and the form of Andy Morris.

Eventually he made a £15,000 move to Mansfield Town, and then a £30,000 transfer to Hartlepool United. Later in his career he took up refereeing, and still living close to Lincoln he was a regular in the middle in the Lincoln Sunday League. He also served as Commercial Manager for Mansfield in 2007/08 having held a similar position at Chesterfield the season before.