Lincoln’s hero boss doesn’t throw teacups..his new mantra is this..TCUP
(THINK CORRECTLY UNDER PRESSURE)
AS if they had not sprinkled enough magic on the FA Cup already, Lincoln City are turning to a World Cup winner to spook Arsenal with more stardust.
Sir Clive Woodward was architect of English rugby’s finest hour, and now he has been lined up to help the Imps prepare for Mission Impossible at the Emirates.
Lincoln boss Danny Cowley was standing on a windswept touchline at North Ferriby, a village so close to the Humber Bridge you can almost see the toll plaza behind the goal, as he confirmed plans to draft in Woodward as a consultant.
“I believe he’s going to come in for a day and do an audit on how we can get the most out of the group for a one-off occasion,” he said.
“I’ll be lapping up every word. Sir Clive is role model for any coach or manager – I’ve read all his books and I copy some of his ideas. The man is a legend.
“Although it (the World Cup final) was back in 2003, I can still see every phase leading up to Jonny Wilkinson’s drop goal and what it meant for the country.
“I know how much rehearsal went into Matt Dawson’s burst to gain vital territory, Martin Johnson bulldozing another few yards, Dawson’s pass and Wilkinson making a difficult kick look like shelling peas.
“To execute that moment, under the maximum stress of the last minute in a World Cup final, speaks volumes for his preparation of the team.
“If we can tap into Sir Clive’s ‘T-CUP’ mantra (Thinking Correctly Under Pressure), it will hold us in good stead when we go to Arsenal.”
Non-league Sutton’s brave tilt at Arsenal in the fifth round was overshadowed by a tawdry betting stunt involving a roly-poly goalkeeper, a meat pasty and the shabby ethics of a shirt sponsor.
“If they had their time again, they would probably have done things differently,” mused Cowley. “But it was one individual rather than the club who went along with it, and it shouldn’t mar what was a fantastic performance.”
Had the pie nonsense been carried out in cricket, it would have been branded fancy fixing, because those in on the secret can place a bet and have control over the outcome.
In the week it emerged that spot-fixer agent Mazhar Majeed – the go-between who organised Pakistani cricketers bowling no-balls to order in a Test match – is working with heavyweight boxer David Haye, it will have struck a chord with Cowley.
He was managing Concord Rangers seven years ago when he presided over a 3-0 win at Croydon Athletic, a club owned by Majeed.
With Croydon’s benefactor under police investigation and his assets frozen, Cowley’s opposite number gathered the players on the pitch and announced the club was folding, right there and then.
“It’s very humbling when you watch a club ‘die’ in front of your eyes,” said Cowley. “It teaches you to stay grounded, to take nothing for granted in football.
“The story of Lincoln City this season has been a fantastic script, and I can’t speak highly enough of this group of players, but we haven’t achieved anything yet.”
National League Lincoln are on course for a return to the Football League and in the quarter-finals of the FA Cup (below, celebrating their fifth-round win over Burnley).
At last, happy days are here again at Sincil Bank, thanks to Cowley and his assistant, brother Nicky.
“It’s five years since Lincoln City were relegated out of the league and, since then, they have never finished higher than 13th in this division,” added Cowley, 38.
“The club lost its way a bit, and it’s almost as if the place has been in mourning, but it’s a fantastic club and we cherish this opportunity.
“When you come up through non-league, it’s not always romantic, but we are trying to make the most of it and, above all, not trying to run before we can walk.”
But even with a masterclass from Woodward ( far left), Lincoln’s toughest challenge will not be toppling Arsenal at the Emirates.
The Imps’ biggest fight, almost certainly, will be hanging on to the Cowley brothers in the long run.