Lincoln United’s manager has revealed his side’s title-winning match last month was “probably the least enjoyable game I have been involved in”.
The Whites were crowned champions of the United Counties League Premier Division North on Easter Monday.
But manager Scott Hellewell said the crucial 0-0 draw against Skegness Town was one of the most nerve-wracking matches of his life.
He said: “We knew results that were going on around us and we knew we just needed to not concede, we did not really need to score.
“We did have a penalty and that penalty was missed. That would have given us a little bit of a comfort blanket, but it was more ‘just don’t concede’.”
He said: “It would have been nice to win the game – it would have felt a little bit different. It was more of a relief than anything.”
The title win lifts them into Tier Seven of the English Football pyramid and Scott Hellewell’s side will be playing in the Northern Premier League next season.
The Whites last played at this level two seasons ago in Division One East, but were relegated in 2022/23 by one point in 18th. Lincoln United were agonisingly close to a Wembley success in the FA Vase last season.
However the domestic double success in league and County Cup have been a feather to the cap of Scott Hellewell’s side this campaign.
Now, this Bank Holiday Monday, the Whites have an opportunity to make an historic season an unprecedented one, with a potential treble on the horizon, with the League Cup final against Eynesbury Rovers.
Hellewell said: “It means everything. The chats we had in the summer before we took the job – it was pretty clear. They wanted us to get promoted.
“We jumped at the chance to join the club and that was the main goal, to get promoted. We had a lot of meetings and chats and the outcome from it all was, ‘do not worry about other competitions, just focus on the league’. I think that is what let them down the previous year.
“When it comes to the cup games, you still want to win them. We made a lot of changes throughout the cup games and we have done alright in the cups as well. It has been an unbelievable season.”
Scott said: “Getting the double – Saturday was a little disappointing [in the UCL Champions Cup Final defeat to St. Neots Town]. We made a lot of rotation, give lads minutes, but obviously still got another cup final.”
This season marks an end to a 30-year wait to win a league for Lincoln United. It also happened almost to the day three decades ago, that Whites captain Elliot Dye’s father, Darren, led the club to their last league title.
He said: “That is an achievement in itself. I think the way we have done it, to go 23 league games unbeaten.
“If someone says that to you, the chances are you are going to be up there, there or thereabouts, that makes it an added bonus.”
When reflecting on the title celebrations, he said: “I am not sure it has 100 percent sank in yet, it probably will once we get this cup final out of the way, then we can look back and think about what we have achieved.
“It was nerve-racking a lot of the time this season, but to get over the line the way we did, it was pleasing. I just wish it was a couple of weeks before!”
On Elliot’s father Darren, Scott said: “He comes and watches all the games. At the start of the season, we were doing goal celebrations and I think Elliot, every time he scored he had to go and cuddle a fan. So he used to always run over and cuddle his dad.
“It means a lot – my dad comes and watches every game and he has done throughout my playing career, management career. At the end of the game when we won the league I went and gave my dad a cuddle. That does not happen very often, we are not really like that.”
He said: “It is special moment to share with those people. It has been a long wait – I did not realise it was 30 years until the day before we won it.
“The last few seconds, when we had the ball in their corner and I was thinking, ‘he’s going to blow in a minute’ and that is when we enjoyed it.”
Lincoln United’s Head of Media Zack Leader said: “At the time, it was probably the worst 90 minutes of my life!”
“We had half an eye on the Eastwood game, we knew they were losing against Belper United, so at that point we knew that a point was enough. It was just a case of hanging on to what we had. I would not wish that 90 minutes upon anyone.
“The feeling when that full time whistle went and the celebrations after, I will remember that for the rest of my life, it was just unbelievable.
“They came close last season, unfortunately missing out – ironically to Skegness Town in the playoff semi final.
He said: “If you ask anyone about last season, the thing they will tell you straight away about was the FA Vase run. To come effectively one penalty kick away from Wembley and to not get there is heartbreaking.
“The lads have done unbelievable to pick themselves up. The management team that have come in this year have done an outstanding job in picking the club up from that heartbreak and been able to deliver not just the league title, the county cup title as well and potentially doing the treble with the League Cup on Bank Holiday Monday.”
Lincoln United travel to Peterborough at the Haydon Witham Stadium to take on Eynesbury Rovers, in the Sports Ground Development League Knockout Cup.
