Category: Sport

Fans Show Respect At Richard Butcher Memorial

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Fans volunteered to cleanup the surrounding area of Lincoln City's Sincil Bank Stadium

Image courtesy of www.flickr.com/people/blogdroed

Sincil Bank yesterday celebrated the life of former Imps favourite Richard Butcher. Fans, former team-mates and family all gathered to remember the life of a man who made more than 100 appearances for Lincoln city, over two permanent spells, and a brief loan spell.

Butcher died in his sleep at his home in Manchester on January 10th, at the age of just 29, with undoubtedly years still left on his playing career, followed by the planned career of physiotherapy that he aspired to take up after his retirement.

He enjoyed spells with many clubs around the football league, with his stints at Sincil Bank accompanied by time at Notts County, Macclesfield Town, Northampton town and Oldham Athletic amongst others.

 Despite his career at a number of different clubs, he still made more appearances for the Imps than any other club, cementing his part as cult hero on the terraces at Lincoln City.

Players such as Alan Marriott and Simon Yeo, who were part of the side that Butcher help lead to the play off’s between 2002 and 2005. Having died in his sleep a little over three weeks ago, it is the second tragedy to strike both Lincoln City and his previous club Macclesfield Town.

Former Lincoln City manager Keith Alexander also died suddenly whilst in charge of Macclesfield in 2010, less than a month after he brought his former player Butcher to Moss Rose stadium.

Former Imps team-mate Ben Futcher held back tears as he told the crowd about the man he referred to as ‘Butch – One of my best friends.’

Other speakers included former Lincoln captain Paul Morgan and Peterborough chairman Barry Fry.

Macclesfield Town have also announced that they while retire Butcher’s number 21 shirt as a mark of respect.

Fans Give Sincil Bank A Spring Clean

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Some fans turned up a little earlier that the normal routine of getting to the ground 20 minutes before kick-off at Lincoln City last Saturday ahead of the home fixture with Morecambe.

 The club teamed up with the Lincoln Community Development Project and asked fans to put on their working gloves and volunteer to clean up the area around Sincil Bank. Loyal supporters turned up for the initial meet at ten o’clock in one of the clubs executive suites before undertaking jobs such as litter-picking around the banks and helping to clear out the river.

Local fan Glenn Martin, a resident from nearby Ripon street thinks that the cleanup project is a great idea for the fans; “To know that they are willing to come back here and clean up the mess that is left after every home game is good to know, the fans are putting something back into the ground, it makes well for a good family football club.”

With the Community Development Project an all round success, there is little doubt that such days will continue in the future, but for now, the earlybirds at Sincil Bank hopes that the Imps form is as tidy as the surrounding streets come kick off this afternoon.