Referee: Scott Oldham
Assistant Referees: Conall Bartlett, Harley Hetherington
Fourth Official: Aji Ajibola
This weekend sees us reacquainted with Scott Oldham, an official whose career trajectory has broadly mirrored our own rise through the divisions. Oldham graduated from the National League at roughly the same time as City, appearing on the National League list in 2016/17, although he did not officiate one of our matches that season.
Our first experience of him came in the 2017/18 campaign, when he took charge of our 1-0 win at Swindon Town. He later made his first visit to Sincil Bank that same season as we beat Newport County 3-1. Across both games he booked two City players, but there were no red cards and no penalties awarded, setting an early pattern for a referee generally inclined to keep his cards in his pocket.
He quickly became something of a lucky charm. In 2018/19, Oldham was in charge as we beat Yeovil Town 1-0 at the Bank, Mark O’Hara heading the winner. Across 34 matches that season he sent off just one player and issued 99 yellow cards, reinforcing his reputation as a relatively restrained official. While he showed a slightly firmer hand in 2019/20 with five red cards in 32 games, there was still little controversy when City were involved.
That season he refereed us twice, overseeing a 3-1 defeat at Doncaster Rovers in the EFL Trophy and a 3-2 win over Burton Albion. He was also the referee for Ben Coker’s only Lincoln appearance, the 3-0 EFL Trophy win against Rotherham United.
Post-Covid, under Michael Appleton, Oldham took charge of our 2-1 defeat at Oxford United, a performance that left a sour taste. He missed what looked a clear penalty for City, then later failed to penalise a handball in the build-up to Oxford’s goal, and could have sent off their goalkeeper in what became an inconsistent display. He also refereed our final day 0-0 draw with AFC Wimbledon, a game largely devoid of notable incidents.
Under Mark Kennedy, Oldham again handled a small number of City fixtures. He was in charge of our EFL Trophy defeat against Sunderland and the April league defeat at Wigan Athletic. He also sent off Ben House at Derby County on Valentine’s Day 2023, before overseeing our 1-1 draw with Wycombe Wanderers at the start of the current unbeaten run, dealing well with Wycombe’s time-wasting and allowing play to flow long enough for City to grab a dramatic late equaliser. We have not lost since.
Most recently, Oldham was the referee for our 4-3 defeat at Barnsley on 1 March 2025 at Oakwell. It was a frantic, high-scoring affair rather than a controversial one, with City mounting a late comeback through Tendayi Darikwa, Reeco Hackett and Jovon Makama after trailing 4-1. Oldham kept a firm grip on proceedings without becoming the central story, booking only sparingly and allowing the game’s momentum to be shaped by the football rather than the whistle.
Across 18 matches this season, Scott Oldham has officiated 11 League One games, six in League Two and one League Cup fixture. In League One, his matches have averaged 21.64 fouls per game, with 48 yellow cards issued at a rate of 4.36 per match, alongside two penalties and one red card. His six League Two appointments have produced an average of 22 fouls per game, 18 yellow cards in total at three per match, and no red cards, with two penalties awarded. The single League Cup match saw 20 fouls, two yellow cards, and no penalties or dismissals. Across all competitions, Oldham has averaged 21.67 fouls and 3.78 yellow cards per game, awarded four penalties in total, and issued one red card.