Lincoln City Striker World Cup Final – Vote Now

Finalist 4 – Simon Yeo

There was an air of inevitability about the inclusion of a certain Mr Yeo, a cult figure who can still be found at Sincil Bank today taking in Imps games. Yeo polled 235 votes, more than any other striker in the race. The fact that Harford’s total of 205 would have won two of the other match ups perhaps indicates how closely fought this battle was.

Yeo saw off Derek Bell, Matt Rhead and Mick Waitt in the group stages, comfortably seeing off Tony Lormor in the quarter finals. Now, he’s got to be one of the favourites to appear in the Stacey West XI.

He arrived at Lincoln having scored a lot of goals for Hyde United in a four-year spell, and was another of the ‘cheap’ non-league players Keith Alexander looked to rely on after we exited administration. His first thirteen games were eventful, featuring six goals, six bookings and a red card in the first ever Football League Lincolnshire derby between Boston and Lincoln. After a brace in the Football League Trophy against York City, the goals dried up. He spent much of the season coming off the bench and not having an effect. Seven barren months brought nothing and for a while, it looked as though everyone would forget who Simon Yeo was.

It’s written in Imps folklore now that to qualify for our first ever play-offs we needed a draw on the last day against Torquay. We trailed 1-0 thanks to a Martin Gritton goal, and Torquay missed a penalty as well. With 51 minutes on the clock Simon Yeo entered the fray, and just four minutes from time he picked up a slick Peter Gain pass and scored the goal that sent us to a two-legged semi-final against Scunthorpe United.

He didn’t start the first leg against Scunthorpe, but he came on as a 73rd minute sub for Dene Cropper with the score poised at 3-3. Two goals in eight minutes from Yeo snatched victory from the jaws of a damaging draw. If that wasn’t enough he only repeated his goal scoring exploits four days later at Glanford Park, coming on as a late substitute to steal a 1-0 win, or a 6-3 aggregate victory.

As we know it wasn’t to be in the final and even Simon Yeo couldn’t fire us to a win against Bournemouth. The next season started in controversial fashion again as he was sent off for kicking the ball away against Oxford in the opening fixture, and then he managed to go 11 games without a goal, a run that cost him his starting place.

In typical Yeo fashion he bounced back though, and starting with a last-minute goal against Huddersfield (3-1) he started to find his form. He scored six in nine as the Imps ascended the league, and despite ending up as losing semi-finalists to Huddersfield Yeo bagged himself 13 goals.

The following season was arguably his best in a Lincoln shirt. Gary Taylor Fletcher stole the opening headlines with goals in the opening five matches, but once Yeo got going there was no stopping him. From January to March he scored 15 goals in 15 games, including a wonderful finish in the televised 2-0 win over Scunthorpe.

The goals dried up as the Imps automatic promotion push died away, but once again his goals had fired us to a play-off semi-final, and ultimately another final appearance at Cardiff. That was disappointingly lost 2-0 to Southend, and as the season ended our 23-goal hero moved to New Zealand. It seemed the love affair was over.

Within a few short months he was back in an Imps shirt re-signing on January 1st 2006. Once again he exploded onto the scene with four goals in his first five matches, and the obligatory red card thrown in for good measure as we drew 1-1 with Peterborough. He ended up with five in 12 games, his final goal in a Lincoln shirt coming in the 22nd minute of a 2-2 draw with Rushden.

After Lincoln he could just have been an ex player, but since he left he’s often seen in the stands following the club. As recently as the 0-0 FA Cup 4th qualifying round game with Guiseley he has been spotted at the Bank, mixing in with the fans. He turns out in charity games and clearly holds an affection for the club he served so well as a player. In a world of gluttonous footballers without loyalty or honour Simon Yeo stands out as ‘one of us’, a regular bloke with the golden boots as far as Imps fans are concerned. His name will be forever mentioned alongside the  Andy Gravers and John Wards of this world as a bona-fide, 100% time served Lincoln City legend.

Now, will he get your vote? Time to have the final say over the page.