Port Vale are our visitors to the Bank this weekend, as we renew a rivalry that goes back over 125 years.
| Head-to-head v Port Vale | Lincoln wins | Draws | Port Vale wins |
|---|---|---|---|
| League | 32 | 18 | 30 |
| League Cup | 1 | 2 | 0 |
| FA Cup | 2 | 3 | 2 |
| Cup | 0 | 1 | 1 |
| Total | 35 | 24 | 33 |
The clubs have faced each other 92 times since the nineteenth century, and while the overall record is close at 35 wins to 33 in Lincoln’s favour, many of the defining clashes have arrived in front of our own supporters.
Recent Clashes
The standout modern meeting at Sincil Bank came in April 2023, a dramatic afternoon that delivered one of Lincoln’s most spirited performances of the Mark Kennedy season. City emerged with a 3-2 home victory despite a first-half red card for Carl Rushworth. Lasse Sorensen opened the scoring with an early strike, but Port Vale hit back through a Matty Taylor penalty and a Dan Butterworth finish to turn the game around.
Ben House levelled just before the break, and even after the visitors were reduced to nine men, we still needed a late winner. That moment arrived on 87 minutes, when Adam Jackson headed home Dylan Duffy’s cross to seal a memorable result shaped by resilience, intensity, and the home support.
The most recent home meeting, a 1-1 draw in November 2023, saw Ben Garrity give Port Vale the lead, and the contest quickly became a test of discipline. Oliver Arblaster was dismissed for the visitors shortly after half-time, but Paudie O’Connor’s red card on 53 minutes levelled the numbers. With the game slipping away, we pushed hard and were rewarded deep into stoppage time when Olamide Shodipo struck the equaliser. That made it five red cards in just 180 minutes of action against the Valiants!
Other recent home encounters underline the same pattern. The 3-1 win in November 2017 was one of the early markers of the Cowley era. Matt Green struck first, Michael Bostwick powered in a second after the break, and Luke Waterfall finished the job with a trademark header. Danny Pugh briefly levelled for the visitors, but the final half-hour was completely controlled by us, raising our level once again in front of the home crowd.
Even the 1-1 home draw in January 2019, though less dramatic, played an important role in the promotion push. It was a disciplined performance with few clear chances, one we should have won, but for a 90th-minute leveller.
Earlier Meetings
Looking deeper into the history of the rivalry reveals an extensive catalogue of significant Lincoln home results. The late 1970s and early 1980s produced a particularly strong run, beginning with a commanding 3-0 win in January 1978. That was followed two seasons later by another 3-0 victory in March 1980, and the Imps continued to dominate at home in this era, adding a controlled 1-0 win in April 1981.
The 1950s delivered several prominent home successes as well. The most emphatic came in August 1956, a 4-0 win that remains one of Lincoln’s clearest statements in the fixture. Earlier that same decade, in October 1954, a 3-1 victory saw City outplay the visitors in a match decided by energy and precision. Smaller margins appeared too, such as the 1-0 home win in March 1956, a game notable for the surprise inclusion of Bob Jackson, greeted by ‘silence’ from the home crowd.
Further back still, the early stages of the rivalry saw Lincoln establish an unmistakable pattern at Sincil Bank. The most eye-catching result came in December 1894, a blistering 6-1 victory that helped define the tone of the matchup during the formative years of league football.
Similar successes followed, including a 4-0 home win in January 1907, and a 4-1 victory in September 1902. These matches helped tilt the early balance of the head-to-head in City’s favour and cemented Sincil Bank as a difficult place for Port Vale to visit.