Steve Holmes

Defender Steve Holmes came through City’s youth ranks but his only first team appearance was at the age of 17 in the GMVC Championship Shield match in October 1988 between Conference champions City and the previous season’s FA Trophy winners Enfield. His only other first team involvement was as an unused substitute for a few games soon afterwards and he then went on loan to Boston FC. Released by City in 1989 he played for Gainsborough Trinity before returning to his native north east for a spell with Guisborough Town. It was while playing for the Northern League club that he came to the attention of Preston manager John Beck who paid £10,000 for him in March 1994 sending him immediately on loan to Conference club Bromsgrove Rovers. Holmes made five appearances for Preston in the 1994/95 season sandwiching another five on loan to fellow fourth tier side Hartlepool.

Troubled times at City at the start of the 1995/96 season saw manager Sam Ellis sacked at the beginning of September followed by his successor Steve Wicks departing just over a month later with the Imps four points adrift at the bottom of the league and looking well-set for a dreaded return to the Conference. John Beck was then appointed and he immediately set about rebuilding the team by bringing in a host of new players starting with two from his old club – goalkeeper Barry Richardson, and Holmes who arrived on a three months loan “with a view to a permanent signing” after playing three times for Preston in the current season.

The 6ft 2in Holmes made his debut at right back in Beck’s first game in charge which saw a home defeat to Cardiff, scoring his first Imps goal in his third game to seal a win at Mansfield which was City’s first league victory for 11 weeks. Not permitted to play by Preston in the FA Cup nor in an Auto Windscreens Shield game against his parent club Holmes remained in the team until mid-January, by now playing at centre back. With the maximum time allowed for a loan period now up, he had to return to Preston. The Lancashire club had rejected attempts by Beck to sign Holmes on a permanent basis with the manager saying had had done a good job for the club and been “a real Mr. Steady Eddie.” The player himself said he was disappointed to go back and “would love to make a permanent move to Lincoln.”

Back at Deepdale he made five more starts for Preston until mid-March when City paid out £30,000 for the 25-year-old’s transfer. Suspended for his second game back he was then ever-present for the remainder of the season, playing at right back.

Holmes continued to be a regular in the side at right back under Beck although missing the middle third of the 1996/97 season following a knee injury sustained at Scunthorpe in early October. In 1997/98 he helped the Imps win promotion for the first time in ten years playing in every game and partnering Kevin Austin in the centre of the defence, also weighing in with four goals.

In the third tier, now playing under Shane Westley who had taken over from John Beck and then with chairman John Reames in charge of the team he missed some early games through injury but was then almost ever-present for the rest of it, winning the Player of the Season award as the Imps were relegated straight back down again. A career-threatening neck injury saw him miss all but the last quarter of the following season but he was back to play a leading role in 2000/01. A scorer of a useful number of goals in his career so far, he outdid himself that season to finish with eleven goals, including five from the penalty spot. Three more successful penalties came the following season before a knee injury sustained in an FA Cup match at Bury kept him out of action for the rest of it. At the age of 31 he was then one of the players released at the end of the 2001/02 season for financial reasons and returned to the north east to play for Northern League side Dunston Federation Brewery.

Another former loan player to feature in a promotion-winning side Steve Holmes was an undoubted success, forming one of the mainstays of the John Beck and post-John Beck era. He was also one of the longest-serving of the players Beck brought to the club, He featured at no. 37 in the 2007 poll of Lincoln City legends.