YOU DID US PROUD!
Cowley’s boys are the pride of Lincoln as Wenger says Imps will win title
AS LUKE Waterfall’s unfortunate own goal all but ended Lincoln City’s historic FA Cup run, the Imps’ huge following fired up their vocal chords once again.
“We’re on our way,” the 9,000-strong travelling contingent belted out. The Football League is the destination these supporters are planning to proudly go with the team they’re in love with all over again.
This scoreline finished with a gloss for Arsenal that was harsh on Lincoln City.
But what a journey it has been. A remarkable run started with a draw against Guiseley and finished in front of nearly 60,000 at the home of the competition’s 12-time winners.
League clubs Oldham Athletic, Ipswich Town, Brighton & Hove Albion were all seen off, before a win at Premier League side Burnley put a Non-League club into the quarter-finals for the first time in 103 years.
In the process, the Cowley brothers – manager Danny and assistant Nicky – and their team have breathed new life into a city that had grown used to being disappointed by its biggest football club. It’s also helped wipe out the debts and generate some very handy cash reserves.
They’ve also enjoyed some of the most memorable moments of their lives, perhaps epitomised by an emotional sea of lights during the Ipswich replay to remember former boss, the late Graham Taylor.
The Cowleys, too, have shone in the national spotlight. They’ve been live on
Match of the Day and Sir Clive Woodward, the coach they’ve borrowed so much from over the years, even popped around their Essex home for a cuppa.
Most importantly, they’ve restored belief that Lincoln can end their exile from the Football League following their 2011 relegation.
The national and international media may now pack up and move on, but for Lincoln there’s a bigger job to do. Still sitting at the top of the National League, and also in the FA Trophy semi-finals, they will return to their ultimate promotion goal.
While the fans came for a party in the capital, boss Cowley said he wouldn’t do his players an injustice by suggesting they enjoy their day out.
With a plan to break the game down into nine mini games of ten minutes, he hoped they could plot a path through Arsene Wenger’s side.
The under-pressure manager had little choice but to name a strong side after their midweek Champions League capitulation to Bayern Munich.
Every single starter boasted international caps – 523 were on the pitch at the beginning, to be precise. Over 100 of them belonged to Alexis Sanchez and his class told throughout.
Not that Lincoln striker Matt Rhead, a huge part of their success, was going to be outdone by the Chile star when his clever backheel had the Emirates cheering early on.
But when Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain limped off, as if to illustrate the difference, Arsenal brought on a World Cup winner in his place in the shape of Mesut Ozil. Despite Aaron Ramsey side-footing wide and a great low save from Paul Farman to push Theo Walcott’s volley onto the post, Lincoln more than matched the Premier League giants in the opening half.
Had it not be for a big Petr Cech glove they could have been celebrating the lead on 28 minutes. Nathan Arnold ghosted past Laurent Koscielny inside the box where he got off a curling shot that Cech pushed behind.
Still, they more than deserved to be level at the break and they were
moments away from doing just that. But when they failed to clear their lines from a corner, Walcott put the Gunners ahead via a deflection.
It was just what Arsenal needed and it proved the release for a second-half performance Lincoln just couldn’t resist.
Olivier Giroud tapped in the second on 53 minutes after some fantastic interplay between Walcott, Hector Bellerin and Sanchez to give the Frenchman a chance he couldn’t miss.
Soon it was three. Kieran Gibbs, who had earlier missed a good chance to make it two, got to the byline and fired a low cross that Waterfall’s outstretched leg turned past his own keeper.
Sanchez then curled in a brilliant fourth after a good run before Ramsey walked number five over the line.
Not that it stopped the Lincoln fans from singing their team all the way to the final whistle. And, who knows, perhaps back to where they really want to go.