Imps 4-3 West Ham, 18th December 1948

Our next home win against the Hammers came in 1948/49, once again after a promotion. We won the Third Division North in 1947/48, but the promotion didn’t bring a glut of new players. City were unable to sign anyone – Bill Anderson made enquiries for 29 different faces and got knocked back 29 times. We opened our season away at Upton Park; still a mass of twisted girders and bombed-out stands post-war. A 2-2 draw drew plaudits from across the football world – were the Imps here to stay?

The return game at the Bank was in December and by then, we had signed a player, one of the biggest names in the game at the time. Jock Dodds was a huge character in football, one of the best strikers in the country at the time. It was felt if anyone could keep us in the Second Division, it was him.

Sadly, the Imps had gone 11 without a win, losing (among others) to Blackburn (7-1), Bradford Park Avenue (6-3), and Southampton (2-1) in the run-up to the West Ham visit. The Hammers were chasing promotion, and nobody gave us a prayer. On the eve of the game, the Imps added Doug Wright to the ranks a left half from Newcastle. The plan worked a treat.

He gave ‘an example of football artistry, the like of which has never before been seen at Sincil Bank’ according to the Echo report. Billy Bean bagged the first, a penalty before West Ham lost their keeper with a broken shoulder. That meant finishing the game with ten men, and Jock Dodds took full advantage, smashing a hat trick.

Sadly, the revival was only temporary, and the Imps finished bottom of the table, seven points adrift of Nottingham Forest. Dodds finished the season with 17 goals from 24 outings, and Wright appeared 21 times, scoring once.