Cowley’s Imps pride
JACK PAYNE scored twice as Huddersfield ended a run of six cup matches without a win with an easy victory against their managerless League One visitors.
Payne, signed from Southend last summer, scored the first and last goals while Kasey Palmer and Harry Bunn also found the back of the net.
While Town’s first cup win since they beat Chesterfield in the Capital One Cup in August 2014 rarely looked in doubt, it took them until the latter stages of the game to secure their place in the draw for the Fourth Round.
Huddersfield took the lead in the 28th minute when debutant Izzy Brown and Joe Lolley combined neatly to set up Payne.
In the second half, Vale suffered a blow when keeper Jak Alnwick, who had collided with a post in the fisrt half, finally succumbed to the injury and was substituted.
Palmer made it 2-0 in the 73rd minute with substitute Bunn the provider.
As Vale tired, Tommy Smith set up Town’s third in the 80th minute for Bunn and the victory was completed when Tareiq Holmes-Dennis crossed for Payne to slot home with six minutes left. DANNY COWLEY hailed a heroic performance from Lincoln who were just four minutes away from dumping Championship side Ipswich out of the FA Cup.
Lincoln twice led at Portman Road through Theo Robinson but Tom Lawrence scored two equalisers to rescue a replay for Mick McCarthy’s struggling side.
Proud Lincoln boss Cowley said: “My players were heroic for me, absolutely heroic.
“There is a tinge of disappointment but the overriding emotion is pride.”
The National League leaders went ahead within six minutes when Robinson got on the end of Nathan Arnold’s dangerous cross.
Ipswich were level after 12 minutes when Lawrence’s low shot went through the legs of Paul Farman.
The Imps retook the in the 65th minute when Robinson expertly volleyed in from Farman’s long clearance.
But just when it seemed like Lincoln would be celebrating a famous cup shock, Lawrence let fly from 25 yards with four minutes left.
Ipswich boss McCarthy, who was booed at the final whistle, said: “Tom got us out of jail with that goal.”
Well-taken goals from Helder Costa and Matt Doherty, who sealed the upset 10 minutes from time with a lovely free-kick, gave Wolves a first victory in the competition since 2011 – the year that Stoke made the final under Tony Pulis.
Stoke boss Mark Hughes said: “We lost the game in the first half.
“The strength of the team we put out should have been more than capable of getting a result.
“You need luck and their keeper made several saves but we simply weren’t good enough on the day.
“We desperately wanted a cup run, sadly that’s not the case and that’s disappointing.
“We need to pick ourselves up and seriously get our act together next week now.”
The Championship club looked sharper from the outset so the Potters could not say they were not warned prior to going behind.
Twice in the opening 10 minutes, Jon Dadi Bodvarsson burst forward down the right before sending efforts narrowly wide of the far post.
Stoke looked laboured but began to have some success out wide as the midway point of the first half approached but the final ball from Xherdan Shaqiri and Marko Arnautovic could not find Peter Crouch.
It had all been rather rushed and scrappy until Costa provided the first moment of class after 29 minutes.
He cut inside on the edge of the area and, after riding a challenge from Arnautovic, fired a shot past Lee Grant into the bottom corner.
It was hard to argue Wolves didnt deserve their lead and it was not until the 39th minute that Stoke mustered their first real attempt on goal.
Ryan Shawcross won a header from Shaqiri’s corner but his effort looped over.
Stoke created another chance shortly afterwards when Arnautovic picked out Crouch with a lovely cross but the striker put his volley over from eight yards.
Some home fans booed their team off at half-time and Hughes obviously was not happy with what he had seen either as he made two changes at the break, with Giannelli Imbula and Bojan being replaced by Joe Allen and Charlie Adam.
Bojan was already frustrated by a lack of starts – with a move away being mooted – and his representatives recently met with Hughes to discuss the issue. Whether