The latest step of Lincoln City’s remarkable FA Cup journey could be a dream trip to face Arsenal at the Emirates after the non-league outfit were drawn against the winners of Monday's clash between Arsene Wenger’s side and Sutton United.
The quarter-final draw was greeted with wild celebrations by hundreds of supporters at Lincoln’s Sincil Bank stadium, where manager Danny Cowley described it as a “win-win” and admitted he “feels like we are going to wake up at any moment”.
Lincoln became the first non-league team in 103 years to reach the FA Cup quarter-finals after a late header from Sean Raggett secured victory over Premier League side Burnley on Saturday.
Having already knocked out Championship teams Ipswich and Brighton in the third and fourth rounds, Danny Cowley’s side are now just one game away from a semi-final at Wembley.
It means that Sutton welcome Arsenal to Gander Green Lane tomorrow night now knowing that victory would set up an all-National League quarter-final, and guarantee that a non-league side will play at the national stadium.
FA Cup quarter-final draw
“You never know in football,” said Cowley. “Obviously it is a great draw and we wish Sutton all the best. I genuinely hope they can do it, and if they can then that is fantastic.
“But if not then we will obviously play Arsenal. For us it’s a win-win. We either play Sutton for the opportunity to be in the semi-final of the FA Cup, or we have a fantastic tie away at Arsenal.”
Lincoln are currently three points clear at the top of the National League table, despite having two games in hand on second-placed Dagenham and Redbridge. Sutton, meanwhile, are in 17th.
“It is completely surreal,” said Cowley, who celebrated Saturday’s victory by knuckling down and preparing for Tuesday’s league trip to North Ferriby United. “You feel like you are going to wake up at any moment but it has been a great journey. Our players deserve this, they have been incredible.”
Elsewhere, Manchester United manager Jose Mourinho will be returning to former club Chelsea, where he will be looking to avenge the 4-0 thrashing his United side suffered in October on his first return to Stamford Bridge since he was sacked as Chelsea manager last season.
Asked for his reaction to the draw after goals from Marcus Rashford and Zlatan Ibrahimovic had given his side victory over Blackburn Rovers, Mourinho said he had “so many things to think about” before worrying about the quarter-finals, which will take place in mid-March.
“I have to play Saint-Etienne, I have to play the [League Cup] final, I have to play hopefully another opponent in the Europa League, I have to fight for a top-four position,” he said.
“I have so many things to think about. Chelsea can only think about that because they are champions already and they have nothing else to fight for.”
The draw also threw up a London derby between Tottenham Hotspur and League One side Millwall, who have already knocked out three Premier League teams on their journey to the quarter-finals.
“This is a very exciting draw for all of us,” said Millwall manager Neil Harris, who watched his players defeat Leicester City with a last-minute winner on Saturday.
“My players have been brilliant in overcoming three Premier League teams already, including the champions, but going to Spurs in the quarter-finals will certainly be the toughest test of their ability to challenge themselves against some of the most outstanding footballers around.
“White Hart Lane is a brilliant place to play football and I know my players will relish the opportunity to go there and show everyone what they are made of once again.”
In the fourth tie of the draw, the winner of the fifth-round replay between Huddersfield and Manchester City will travel to the Riverside to face Middlesbrough, who scraped past Oxford with a dramatic 3-2 victory.
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