Lincoln City were given the pleasure of being just one of five locations across the country selected for a 150th anniversary celebration of the FA Cup.
The LNER stadium was selected as a venue, due to the historic achievement of the Imps in 2016/17, when they reached the quarter finals, becoming the first non-league side in 103 years to do so.
The side of the Co-op stand was lit up with a projection of Lincoln’s third round hero, Nathan Arnold, shoulder-to-shoulder with Arsenal’s former Chilean maestro, Alexis Sanchez, during the quarter-final clash.
Alan Long, Lincoln City Supporter Liaison Officer and club legend, expressed the significance of the club being part of the event, “it’s a great privilege for the club to be part of all this celebration that’s going on at the moment; we’re one of only five clubs featured in this, so we’re very proud of our part in the FA cup history.”
The iconic FA Cup run holds pride of place in Lincoln City’s 137 year history and fans and staff alike remember it fondly. “The FA Cup run was marvellous, I remember going to Ipswich, there was 5,500 people there and thinking ‘we’re on to something here’.” Alan Long told The Linc.
The Imps defeated three football league teams, including scoring an 89th minute winner away at Burnley of the Premier League, before being defeated by English football giants Arsenal in the quarter-finals. Alan Long remembers the visit to the Emirates fondly. “9000 people travelled down to London, I can remember coming on the team bus into the stadium and it was a sea of red and white and I thought it was all Arsenal fans. But it wasn’t, it was all Lincoln fans.”
“It was a fantastic experience, and one that fans of this club will never forget.”