Fairytale ends for history makers Lincoln
Written by News on 12/03/2017
The dream is over for FA Cup history makers Lincoln City following a 5-0 defeat at Premier League giants Arsenal.
The Imps were the first non-league side to reach the quarter-finals in more than a century – and almost 10,000 fans made the journey to the capital hoping for one more giantkilling that would take them to Wembley for the first time in their history.
The 60-1 shots held out until the 45th minute at the Emirates Stadium but having knocked out Ipswich, Brighton and Burnley, the task of dispatching Arsenal proved too much.
Theo Walcott’s goal at the end of the first half opened the floodgates but it was far from an embarrassment, with the Lincoln players applauded from the field by both sets of fans.
Manager Danny Cowley said: "We’re the first non-league team in over 100 years to reach the last eight. We’ll never be happy if we lose, but at some stage we need to be proud of what we’ve done.
"It’s been a brilliant journey."
Despite the result it will be a day never forgotten by the Lincoln fans who made the pilgrimage to the capital.
The Edward Lear pub in Islington was renamed The Lincoln Imp for the day, while Covent Garden station was forced to close due to smoke from flares set off by fans travelling to the game.
The Metropolitan Police’s football unit tweeted: "Due to smoke from flares entering Covent Garden Tube the station has been closed. Use Leicester Sq or Holborn tube instead #TeamLincoln."
(c) Sky News 2017: Fairytale ends for history makers Lincoln
