Bury 1993

It’s easy to forget this one—I did. City were ninth going into the tie on 59 points, with Bury eighth on 60 having played a game more. It was tight at the top—Walsall, Shrewsbury, and Crewe were fifth, sixth, and seventh, and all had 61 points. The Imps had three left to play, including Bury, while the Shakers had just one after this game. Crucially, despite Walsall winning 4-0 away, and Crewe hammering Colchester 7-1 at home, Shrewsbury dropped points on this afternoon. A City win would have lifted us into the top seven.

We weren’t in great form, having failed to win three at home despite having taken a 1-0 lead in each. That, more so than the Bury game, killed us, but in the end, this result did end our play-off hopes.

City took a 1-0 lead on half time, when Jason Lee nodded down for Puttnam to drive the ball home. Early in the second half Neil Matthews had a glorious chance to make it 2-0, but he missed, and a few minutes later, Jason Lee elbowed Paul Fitzpatrick and was sent off. This sparked a Bury resurgence, with Mark Kearney levelling on 71 minutes, and Alan Knill winning it late on.

Heartbreakingly, come the end of the season, it really was crucial. City finished eighth with 63 points, while Bury finished seventh with the same points but having a better goal difference to the tune of four. Even a draw would have been enough.