Next day, breakfast, Fe and Mo head off to Stanmore with the bags whilst we meet Dave. Then, we all headed off to the Green Man for the festivities.
I assume many of you were in the pub at some point, a vibrant and slightly damp setting in which thousands of city fans enjoyed more than a pint or two. Not me of course, with less than a month before I become 1% robot I had volunteered to be the driver for the day. After all, a cheeky vodka and lemonade is fine, but the last six times I’ve drunk pints in conjunction with tramadol it’s left me considerably poorly.
It did mean I got to witness much of the atmosphere without beer goggles, although at times I also felt a little isolated. Alcohol isn’t needed in these circumstances, but it does help and everyone else was partaking of plenty. Once the rain really set in and the tent filled up things got very lively, plenty of songs, a bit of red smoke and a great atmosphere. I even saw Marcus Needham there, multiple times.
The concourse was full of unfamiliar faces, I suppose to be expected when you’re at a Wembley final. I bumped in to a few I knew, but the usual 500 or so I recognise from the game soon get diluted amongst 27,000
We were joined by Keith and Dan, the Exeter Imps, of sorts. Keith is my uncle, an Imp from many years ago who moved to Exeter as a teen. He gets up whenever he can and is famous in Devon for singing Imps songs amongst the Exeter fans whenever they’re losing. He follows the Grecians too, as does his lad Dan. There’s no Imps in Dan, aside from his father’s influence. He’s an Exeter fan through and through, but even he remarked what amazing support we had. I hope we go up automatically and they come through the play offs (or, worse case, the other way around) so we can renew that family rivalry. Keith was shocked because he bumped into some lads he used to knock around with as a young lad, before the Devon move.
The weather tried to dampen the afternoon down so we ended up in the ground earlier than imagined so we didn’t drown. The concourse was full of unfamiliar faces, I suppose to be expected when you’re at a Wembley final. I bumped in to a few I knew, but the usual 500 or so I recognise from the game soon get diluted amongst 27,000. I will say one thing for Wembley, the food was excellent. There was so much choice and very little in the way of queuing. It might not have been football how my Granddad remembered it, but I’m sure it has changed for the better.
Of course, it isn’t like any normal ground or experience, everything is very well presented and the concourse feels like a shopping mall rather than a football ground. However, there’s no view quite like the one you get walking through the doors and looking at the pitch for the first time. Here we were, little old Lincoln City, about to play on the grandest stage English football has to offer.
We settled into our padded seats acutely aware there was youngsters behind us who didn’t want to watch the back of my head all game, but it was hard to stay sat for the whole experience. The teams came out and for a few minutes I watched in awe as my Lincoln City, the team I’ve seen lose against Welling and North Ferriby, the side whose badge I have on my arm, whose shirts I have nearly fifty of, programme well over 1000 of, that have given me memories of both joy and pain (many more of the latter) competed at Wembley.
Colin Murphy leading the team out was a wonderful touch, as was the way the entire day was about everything other than Danny and Nicky. The media love them, but they don’t put themselves at the front of the club. They put Jack Notty there, they put Colin Murphy there, they do everything and anything to take the pride away from themselves. That seems to be the club ethos and whilst some long for the days when 1,000 fans huddled in one corner of the ground and felt connected, I relish the current climate in which anyone can enjoy the ride. I know that having witnessed relegation in 1999 and 2011, having marched through administration and buried my Granddad in a Lincoln City scarf, my experience on sunday afternoon was very different to those who got on the Loco last season or the season before. I’m not saying I’m better than them, not at all, but I know when my team walked out at Wembley, it meant something very different to me.
Iremember a time not toolong ago when a attendance of 2700 at home would have looked upon as a good never mind 27000 travelling fans.
At the end of Sundays game i thought of Bob Dorrian he deserves a great accolade for keeping City afloat.
Amazing. Was hard to keep the eyes dry. I just want to mention Clive Nates as well. In keeping with the excellent culture at the club, I notice that he wasn’t in the Royal Box. No, he was directly opposite on the other side of the stadium – near to where I was – and keeping a low profile. Not lording it – just acting like a regular fan and enjoying himself. Good for him – and we owe him (as well as many others at the club) our gratitude.
Clive does see to be like that…I bumped into him coming out of the Emirates last season. …on his own with his rucksack on his back. I thanked him for what had been a fantastic cup run….lttle did I know what was to come!
Sat here, 24 hours later and still in London, reading your words and tears streaming down our faces. In public…waiting for a train…full of ale, thank you. Sums up the day on a supporters level. From the heart.
Bring on the Vale and hope we are back here at the end of May with tears of joy once again, (unless automatic promotion happens, obviously!)
Thank you
From two messy Imps sat in Parcel Yard awaiting return to our celebratory City. Ooh, time for a beer!
I thought same as Barry. The amount of grief Bob Dorrian has got over the time in charge, I was delighted to see him up there shaking hands with Danny after collecting his medal. I was also amazed to see Alan Long there with tears in his eyes. I am a Lincoln fan but it is never more than a game to me, but I am full of admiration for those where it means everything, and I delighted in seeing so many happy faces. Not my first time at Wembley by a long chalk, but certainly my favourite time.
Next time you go, worth noting there is another tube station and a train than can be quicker than Central.
I certainly know what you mean about not wanting to leave. I am not in a great place at the moment with my dad being quite ill and I tried to not think about that. But when he sent me a message before the game that Imps would win 1-0 I so wish I had put some money on it for it. Still brings a tear to my eye now thinking about that as I write this. I am an exiled Imps fan and I haven’t been to many games over the last 6 or 7 years and feel I have missed out on the Cowley wagon train but I could not miss yesterday. I have alway wanted to see the Imps at Wembley and even though I saw both of the Cardiff games, Wembley is the one isn’t it. And we only bloody won it.
Agree about Bob. Low key saviour of the club and richly deserving the success.
still trying to register we won even after 24 hours even after seeing the goal go in even after collecting my winnings through Elliott scoring at 40/1 thinking of all the players that graced Sincil Bank Neville Bannister, school mate John Ward, John Kennedy, Holmes, Graver, Gordon Hughes, Bill Taylor, Graham Taylor, many many more. Thank you to you including those dark days infront of 900 at Aldershot, struggling to get 3000 at many home games. Praise must go to Bob and Nate for taking the stick but for staying the distance enjoy the ride for as long as we all can
Awesome Gary.
UTI
Great piece of writing for those of us that have been there through thick and thin bought seats, sponsored players supported crowd funders and handed over time and money to keep the club afloat.
A downside was the booing of the shrews not the fans that sung you are the champions to yeovil years ago various other nice gestures over the years, nor the ones ignoring the football to pour beer over a guys rear end.
A moment to savour and hope that the supporters remember this day through all the ups and downs in the future.
but what an achievement thanks Danny and Nicky Clive and Bob and Chris M for laying the foundations of this team.
Well done Gary, you’ve captured it all in this article. There were tears odd pride and joy in our party as well. Thank you…..