Twenty One years later | Lincoln City vs Swansea City
It has been more than two decades since Swansea City and Lincoln City last took to the pitch in a competitive fixture.
When the two clubs meet again this weekend, it will be the first time they have faced one another since 2005 – a 21-year gap that has seen both clubs experience plenty of change, on and off the field.
The last meeting came during a very different era for Swansea City. The Vetch Field was still home, the club were competing in League Two and the landscape around the club looked a world away from the one supporters know today.
Fast forward to 2026 and Swansea will travel to Lincolnshire with the two clubs meeting in the Championship for the very first time.
A different Swansea
Back in 2005, Swansea were still in the early stages of a remarkable transformation.
The club would move into their new stadium later that year, bringing an end to the famous Vetch Field era, while a period of rapid progress was beginning to take shape.
The following years would bring promotion from League Two, a rise through League One and the Championship, and ultimately a first-ever season in the Premier League.
There would also be a League Cup triumph, European football and a host of memorable nights along the way.
For supporters who were there when Swansea last faced Lincoln, the contrast with the club of today could hardly be greater.
The history between the two sides dates back to 1932, when they first met in the old Third Division.
Their opening encounter took place at Sincil Bank on August 29, with Lincoln claiming a 2-0 victory in front of 12,613 supporters.
Swansea did not have to wait long for their first victory over the Imps, with the return fixture taking place at the Vetch Field just seven days later. The Swans responded with a 3-1 victory to secure their first win in the fixture.
The clubs would go on to meet regularly across the decades, with their final two encounters coming during the 2004-05 League Two campaign.
Swansea's last home meeting with Lincoln came on August 30 2004, with the Imps making their final visit to the Vetch Field.
The Swans made the perfect start when Izzy Iriekpen opened the scoring after just three minutes, and Swansea held on to secure a 1-0 victory in front of their home supporters.
It proved to be the final time Lincoln would visit the Vetch, with Swansea going on to secure promotion to League One at the end of the campaign before beginning a new chapter at the Liberty stadium.
The final meeting came at Sincil Bank on 9 April 2005, with Lincoln claiming a dramatic 1-0 victory in front of 5,207 supporters.
The game appeared to be heading for a goalless draw, but with just 40 seconds remaining, Peter Gain's ball across the box struck Garry Monk and deflected past goalkeeper Willy Gueret to hand the Imps all three points.
The Lincoln connection
Lincoln have themselves experienced plenty of change of their own during the intervening years.
The Imps have moved through the divisions, enduring difficult periods and enjoying memorable successes, including their run to the FA Cup quarter-finals in 2017 and promotion from League Two to League One in 2019.
One player to have played a significant part in that modern history is current Swansea City goalkeeper Paul Farman, who spent six years with Lincoln before later joining the Swans in 2025.
Farman initially joined Lincoln on loan before making the move permanent in May 2012, and went on to make 242 appearances for the Imps.
He played a huge role during the club’s memorable 2016-17 campaign, featuring as Lincoln won the National League title and became the first non-League side in more than 100 years to reach the FA Cup quarter-finals.
Among the highlights of that run was a famous 1-0 victory over then Premier League side Burnley at Turf Moor, with Farman between the posts as the Imps continued their remarkable cup adventure.
Farman went on to continue his career in the EFL before joining Swansea in August 2025, signing a one-year deal after leaving Barrow.
Now, more than 21 years after that dramatic afternoon at Sincil Bank, the two clubs meet again – this time in the Championship and at the same ground now known as the ProAmpac Stadium - where their previous competitive meeting took place.