Lincoln City midfielder Alan Power did not hesitate to admit that the Lincoln boys fancy a chance at one of the big Premier League sides left in the competition.
The Imps beat Championship side Brighton and Hove Albion 3-1 to progress to the fifth round for the first time since the 1886/87 season.
The Lincoln midfielder, who has made 197 appearances for the club, didn’t hold back when asked who he wanted to play in the next round: “A nice away trip would be lovely after all this hard work. Manchester United at Old Trafford would be brilliant but I don’t think anyone fancies playing Lincoln City at the moment.”
Power scored the penalty that levelled the game at 1-1 after a long delay as Brighton keeper Niki Maenpaa was treated for an injury.
Power spoke of the moments leading up to the penalty: “There were a lot of things going through my head. I’ve taken a few penalties in high pressure situations but none quite like this.”
“I just had to pick a spot and go for it and I was confident it was going in but to score on a night like this was very special.”
Power also admitted that the win against the Championship leaders seemed quite surreal: “It may take a few days to sink in but we won’t get much time to fully enjoy it, obviously with Solihull Moors on Tuesday night.”
However it hasn’t always been about packed out crowds and FA Cup fourth round goals for Power at Lincoln City.
The midfielder joined the club just after relegation to the National League in 2011 and the Imps haven’t threatened returning until this campaign.
“It’s been a struggle at times over the last five or six years. There has been some ups and downs, especially with a few relegation battles in there, but we’ve been working really hard this year and hopefully that will pay off at the end of it,” Power said.
“I think the difference this season is that we’re relentless in the way we play and in how we train.
“Danny and Nicky won’t give us a rest break because they know our potential and how well we can play.”
Even though Power has enjoyed the FA Cup this year it’s clear that his main focus is the league: “Nights like this are unforgettable but the league remains our priority.”
“We haven’t achieved anything this year yet, we have to stay on track and hopefully gain promotion, but if we could add the FA Cup to that it would be a lovely double!”
Power finally went on to thank Sincil Bank’s 12th man: “The fans tonight were unbelievable, I saw them queuing around the ground at 6 o’clock in the morning in the freezing cold, but it’s games like this that make it all worth while and I’m pleased that we can pay back their loyalty.”
You can find out who Lincoln City face in the fifth-round of the FA Cup this evening, 7pm on BBC One.