The Imps visit Lincoln United today in what is a resumption of a classic friendly.
Pre-season games are usually bathed in the warm summer sun, with fans in shorts and t-shirts enjoying the occasion. A couple of years ago at Boston, we came dangerously close to losing the game before halftime as a thunderstorm set in. I’m sure today’s game against Lincoln United will finish, but it did get me thinking – have we lost friendlies to the weather in the past?
Seeing as I’m prepping this on June 25th, ready for you read, I can’t comment on today’s weather. I’m hoping it’s not biblical as I’m heading to the Peak District for the weekend! Still, I thought I’d dig back in the annals of history and see how many friendlies we have lost, courtesy of the Nannestad bible (which you can still buy here).
Kettering Town 0-0 (July 22nd, 2006)
Our last pre-season friendly to be abandoned was away at Rockingham Road, Kettering, in 2006. I can’t find a huge amount out about the game, but it was due to a waterlogged pitch. Two days earlier, a strong Imps side had beaten Grantham Town 3-1, and two days later, another strong City team drew 3-3 with Leicester with Ryan Semple penning his deal with the club, so I’d imagine the Kettering game was a younger side. It didn’t matter, events were brought to a halt after just 14 minutes with the score 0-0.
Kettering used to be a regular on our pre-season schedule – we’d won 5-2 there the year before and 3-0 in 2002. However, since the infamous 1-1 draw in the FA Cup (pictured), City haven’t been there for a friendly, which could be due to them not being particularly friendly on that occasion!