It should be called Sincil Brae! More about the Scots who have been a bit Imp-ish

Only four sleeps to go before stop 13 on the Road to Wembley from Scotland at Sincil Bank Lincoln on Saturday. Before then the two protagonists have to attend to league business tonight. The Seagulls will welcome Cardiff City to the Amex Stadium for the second time in a month. The previous journey from Wales was a wasted trip for the Bluebirds as the game was called off because of fog less than two hours before kick off. Both teams will be hoping for better luck tonight in the re-arranged match as Albion attempt to go back to the top of the Championship division. Meanwhile some 350 miles to the north in Cumbria the all conquering Red Imps play Barrow in a Vanarama National League fixture. This blog will note how they both got on in a wee post tomorrow. Before then a chance to pay further tribute to Lincoln City’s Scots heritage. Since the ‘Scots Imps’ post last week I have continued to be inundated by Lincoln City fans informing me of more Scots who have donned the famous red and white striped jersey. In no particular order we have Gordon Mair, Ian McInnes, George Peden, Alfred Price Burnett and George Kerr.

Gordon Mair from Bothwell came to prominence in English football when he was an integral member of the Notts County team that defied gravity to rise through the leagues and earn promotion to the top tier.

Having a Mair! Gordon ended up working in Morrisons

Gordon and his Magpies teammates found themselves crossing swords in league action with the likes of Liverpool, Manchester United, Arsenal and Spurs. From a midfield berth he scored 9 goals in the top flight in season 1981-82. Life was pretty good. The only way was down. After County were relegated he signed for Lincoln City where he is remembered as ‘having some good games and some bad games’. He later returned to Scotland and played for Motherwell and Ayr United. Gordon’s most recent Wiki reference notes that he was working in Morrisons superstore in Bellshill in 2008.

Another Scot to represent Lincoln City in the 1980s was Ian McInnes. A native of Hamilton Ian moved south in 1983 to sign for Rotherham. He moved on to Sincil Bank in the 1985-86 season and appeared for the Imps for two campaigns.

From Lanarkshire to Lincolnshire: Red Imp Ian McInnes

He played a total of 51 times for Lincoln City and scored 5 goals. After his spell in Lincolnshire he returned to Scotland and signed for Kilmarnock. Later in his career he also represented Stranraer, Stirling Albion and Albion Rovers. He was at his happiest with the ‘wee Albion’ where he made almost 200 appearances over a six year span.

George Peden is a member of a very exclusive club in that he played for both Lincoln City and my beloved Hearts. George hails from Rosewell, a mining village just 4 miles away from my home here in Penicuik Midlothian. Peden had played 13 times for Hearts prior to his arrival at Sincil Bank towards the end of the 1966/67 season and went on to give Lincoln City seven years of loyal service, making over 250 appearances in all competitions. George was a regular in the City team following his arrival at the Club, although a broken leg sustained at Scunthorpe in March 1971 put him out of action for some time. Known for his no-nonsense approach to tackling and penalty taking, George was voted "Player Of The Season" in 1972/73 whilst he also shared a testimonial against Chelsea with John Kennedy in his final season. After playing for Lincoln United and Skegness Town, he returned to Scotland where he had a spell as manager of Bonnyrigg Rose who have recently been in the news for losing 8-1 in the Scottish Cup against Hibs at the weekend.

A young George Peden in the maroon of the Jam Tarts

Older and wiser: Peden in the red of Lincoln City

In May 1967 Lincoln City unusually played a ‘post season friendly’ against the glorious Hearts at Sincil Bank. Having only been in Lincolnshire for a few weeks George found himself lining up against his former employers. The match finished 3-0 to the Imps and the game is fondly remembered by ‘Lincoln City Banter’ facebook contributor Paul Wilson because it was the first match that he ever attended!

It really happened! Lincoln City beat Hearts 3-0 in 1967

Another contributor to the Lincoln City Banter fb page had even more reason for flagging up a link between Lincoln City and Scotland. Imps fan Jamie Burnett’s Aberdonian grandfather Alfred Price Burnett actually played for Lincoln City! Centre forward Alf played for Dundee United immediately after World War Two and then headed south to make a name for himself with Barrow who were then members of the football league. With the Cumbrians Alf scored 32 goals in 87 games. He joined the Imps in season 1949-50 but his stay at Sincil Bank was relatively brief as he then left football for a career in the police force.

Last in this brief, and certainly not comprehensive, round up of more ‘Scots Imps’ is George Kerr. George briefly managed Lincoln City in 1977 but left to take the hot seat at Grimsby Town. After also managing Rotherham he returned for a second spell as Imps gaffer in 1985. His record in second stint was awful and he took the Imps out of the football league and into the Conference. He later became manager of Boston United and still lives locally in North Lincolnshire.

Unfortunately there are no Scots in the current Lincoln City team but Yorkshireman Jamie McCombe does at least have a Scots name. Maybe Jamie will be the key man tonight when the Imps take on Barrow? Down in Brighton Glaswegian Jamie Murphy is expected to start tonight for the Seagulls against Cardiff City. Will either of the two Jamies make a name for themselves in these final league fixtures before the Imps and the Seagulls do battle on Saturday on The Road to Wembley from Scotland. Come back here tomorrow and find out …. and keep reading!