It’s safe to say that the Imps have had their fair share of time on the TV in recent years, especially in the FA Cup, writes Kate Jackson.
We’ve had games against Northwich Victoria, Oldham, Ipswich, Burnley and Arsenal all broadcast live in recent years, and as soon as we drew Bowers and Pitsea at home in this years first round, many were saying “that’s surely got to be on TV”, but the simple fact is that it is highly unlikely to be.
Despite what many people believe, the romance of the cup in the early rounds is only really televised if the non-league side/underdogs are at home. For example, in our FA Cup run five years ago, when we drew Ipswich, the game at Portman Road wasn’t televised, but the replay at Sincil Bank was. Or if you want a more relevant example to the situation we are currently in, two years ago Leyton Orient found themselves at home to Malton and Tiptree, a club that was a similar gap apart from the London club to what we are with Bowers and Pitsea, but not only that, they were having an insanely good year. Maldon and Tiptree did pull off the upset that day, but that game wasn’t televised.
Simply drawing a side that could hint at an upset is not a guarantee you’ll be on TV. Had we drawn them away from home then yes, you could say it was pretty nailed on, even though there are some very good candidates, but because the game will be at the LNER, there’s not much chance.
Having worked for BT Sport, one of the main reasons that the TV companies don’t show the games where the underdog is away is that, whilst the away end will be what you’d expect, the rest of the ground isn’t. If Lincoln do score, do you honestly think that there will be the same level of celebration that we saw when Regan Poole headed in against Charlton on Saturday? Not a chance. When the goal is expected, the celebrations are never as fierce.
My first ever cup game as a regular at the LNER was 21 years ago when Bracknell Town were the visitors. They were the lowest team left in the competition and it was their debut in the first round, much like Bowers and Pitsea, and the game ended 4-0 to the Imps. The goals were met with light cheering and polite clapping. That game wasn’t chosen for TV, and had it been, it would have been a poor choice.
This isn’t even just a new thing, throughout history of games being televised live, I would challenge anyone to find any televised games where the non-league side is away from home in the first round of the FA Cup
The magic of the first round of the FA Cup isn’t just the chance of the upset, it’s seeing these smaller grounds, kids in the trees trying to get a view of the game, people looking into the ground from their bedroom window, the ball constantly being kicked into someone’s back garden, and not to forget the quintessential shot of several small children stuffing their face with some chips. You don’t get the majority of that at Football League grounds.
Down the years there have been a lot of upsets shown live on TV of the non-league side winning at home against their loftier opposition, and the ground is generally a party atmosphere, such as when, on a Friday evening in 2014, there was a massive pitch invasion when Warrington beat Exeter. Again, that isn’t going to happen when the underdog is away from home.
If Lincoln beat Bowers and Pitsea, it’ll be just another win for us. It won’t be special for us and there won’t be any wild celebrations, no pitch invasions, the ground will be empty within minutes, there’s no narrative or celebratory pictures that the television companies can use effectively.
All of this is why the game against Bowers and Pitsea will not be on TV. Whilst the chance of an upset is still there, the narrative simply isn’t truly there.
For me, the TV games will come from the below as the narrative is still there, especially some have gone on famous cup runs themselves;