Lambe’s carved up gap on the top two
CARLISLE closed the gap on the top two in League Two with a 2-1 win at Wycombe.
With leaders Doncaster and second-placed Plymouth held to 1-1 draws against Luton and Hartlepool respectively, Keith Curle’s men took advantage.
Adebayo Akinfenwa headed Wycombe into an early lead but Carlisle were level when Jamie Proctor fired home.
Reggie Lambe slid in a second for the Cumbrians in the 34th minute and they held on.
At the bottom, Jon Stead scored twice to help Notts County to a dramatic 3-2 victory at Leyton Orient.
Jorge Grant put Kevin Nolan’s County in front and Stead’s looping effort made it 2-0.
Orient were back into the game as Paul McCallum nodded in.
And they levelled with nine minutes remaining when Teddy Mezague lashed in his first goal for the club only for Stead to snatch the winner.
Bottom club Newport allowed a two-goal lead to slip as they were beaten 3-2 at Cambridge.
Ryan Bird’s close-range finish from Josh Sheehan’s low cross gave Newport a half-time lead and the striker scored his second after 57 minutes with an impressive side-foot volley.
Cambridge were back in it after 63 minutes when Barry Corr powered in a header and Leon Legge brought them level with another towering header nine minutes later.
Newport’s Mitch Rose was sent off in conceding a last-gasp penalty and although George Maris’ spot-kick was saved by Joe Day, Mark Roberts followed up to score.
Goals from Tin Plavotic and Billy Waters earned Cheltenham a 2-0 win against Yeovil, while a 25-yard strike from Conor Chaplin (above) snatched Portsmouth a point in a 1-1 draw at Barnet.
Everton loanee Callum Dyson scored twice to help Grimsby to a 3-0 win against 10-man Mansfield and Paul Mullin hit two goals as Morecambe claimed a 3-1 win at Crawley.
Crewe came from two down to draw 2-2 at Blackpool, Accrington held on with 10 men to beat Colchester 2-1 and Exeter drew 1-1 at home to Stevenage.
There were heroes all over the park as Lincoln City became the first non-league side to reach the last eight for 103 years thanks to a set-piece they call ‘Running Box’.
And none were bigger than centre-back Sean Raggett, who will always remember the late goal that floored top-flight Burnley and kept the Imps’ glorious run going.
There was an agonising wait before the goal was confirmed after England keeper Tom Heaton had clawed the big man’s header from behind the line.
Raggett said: “I looked over and didn’t think he’d given it and was about to run back to get into position.”
Assistant manager Nicky Cowley, who shares the dugout and workload with his brother Danny, said: “Thank God for goalline technology – we don’t have it in our league and were waiting for the referee to point to the centre circle.”
Danny s a i d : “I t w a s a n unbelievable feeling to win – we knew i t was going t o be a one-in-a-hundred chance.
“To score with a set-piece which we worked on was incredible. We spend a lot of time rehearsing them in the freezing cold.”
Match-winner Raggett added: “This is unheard of in modern-day football – it’s crazy, unbelievable.
“It’s an unbelievable feeling – it hasn’t really sunk in yet.”
But there was no bubbly flowing as the victorious squad had imposed their own alcohol ban and will not be turning up for training with sore heads after their latest giantkilling. There was a crate of beers in the dressing room – but it was left untouched as the players skipped back to the team bus.
Striker Matthew Rhead said: “There was a lot of water flying around in the dressing room but no champagne.
“We haven’t won anything yet, there’s no point in celebrating.
“It’s a great day for our fans and the club because we’ve got to the quarter-finals.
“But we want a medal at the end of the year.”
The National League leaders will be back in training tomorrow – and ready to take another three points on their march towards automatic promotion to League Two.
Danny Cowley said: “We can’t get carried away.
“We’ve got to keep our feet on the floor and have to use moments like this to inspire us to keep working hard and get ready to play North Ferriby United on Tuesday night.
“Two or three players were saying that while they were celebrating at the end of the game.
“We have to think of our next game.”
The priceless 89th-minute goal – which will give another boost to City’s bank balance, which has already benefitted to the tune of £1million from their cup run – came from the well- rehearsed ‘Running Box’.
Sam Habergham delivered the corner perfectly to find unmarked skipper Luke Waterfall who headed back across the box where Raggett, only a yard or two out, got there first.
Beaten Burnley boss Sean Dyche had no complaints about the shock result.
“We have, unfortunately, played a part in the fairytale and we didn’t want to do that, quite obviously,” he said.
“We were favourites, it’s a different mind-set and I didn’t think we dealt with that well once the whistle went. “All credit to them, they stuck to what they do – knock it up to the big man. They found a way to win. “They used everything they needed to use. They played our pitch well, played resolutely with t heir back f our not going anywhere and they got the ball forward.
“I think they only had one chance. Credit to them. My team were nowhere near the level they can show.”
It was actually only Lincoln’s second chance of the game. Jack Muldoon had side-footed wide in the fifth minute after tricky winger Nathan Arnold had bamboozled full-back Jon Flanagan.
The Imps certainly were not in awe of their Premier League opponents and both burly Rhead and Alan Power put themselves