Fulham 1982

When it comes to high stakes shootouts for promotion, few are as memorable to Imps of a certain age as Craven Cottage in 1982. This is the closest the Imps have come to the Second Division since the early sixties, and boy, did we come close.

City were fourth in the table on 76 points, with Carlisle and Fulham in third and second, both on 77. This was the season finale, with Carlisle playing the following evening. A win would promote the Imps, a draw would promote Fulham, and we would then be reliant on the other result. A crowd of 20,000 packed into the West London ground, more than 2,000 of those City supporters.

Contemporary reports describe City as ‘rampant’, and Fulham should have had a man sent off. Robert Wilson, already booked, fouled Trevor Peake off the ball, but when Peake retaliated, he was booked. Not long after that, Steve Thompson was also booked for a challenge on Gerry Peyton, which was soft, but crucial.

The game swung in the 58th minute in the cruelest of fashions. Thompson came out to meet Gordon Davies and bodychecked him as he sought to go through. The referee pulled out a second yellow, reducing City to ten men. Thompson went off in tears, and before Imps fans could catch their breath, Roger Brown nodded home to Tony Gale’s delivery, giving the Cottagers a 1-0 lead.

Dave Gilbert came on, and his involvement led to an equaliser. He whipped in a free-kick, flicked on by Cockerill. Peake arrived late, and as the ball eluded him, David Carr popped up to head home to level the tie. Peyton had been beaten once, but he wasn’t to be beaten again despite the best efforts of Cunningham and Hobson.

The city waited with bated breath to see if Chester could beat Carlisle. Sadly, rock bottom with just seven wins all season, it seemed unlikely. Carlisle were less than convincing but won by a goal to nil. City finished fourth, six points clear of Oxford United, but there were no play-offs, and that was that.