PROUD LINCOLN ON RIGHT TRACK DESPITE THIS CRUSHING DEFEAT
Forget the score, it’s full steam ahead for these proud Imps
THE Lincoln Loco they called it — the train that took 617 of the 9,000 Lincoln City supporters down to London yesterday.
Six hundred and seventeen seats on sale was a nod to the Dambusters and Lincoln’s RAF community.
Departing Lincoln Central station there were stories and memories of this historic FA Cup run.
‘What was better, Nathan Arnold’s goal against Ipswich or Sean Raggett’s header to beat Burnley?’ one young fan asked his dad.
‘We’ll never see anything like this again,’ added 74-year-old Grace Lawrence, who remembers when Graham Taylor got the Imps to the fourth round in 1976.
‘This is bigger than that. Little old Lincoln City. Even my grandson in Australia says everyone’s talking about what’s happened.’
But this wasn’t going to be treated as a day trip down south and the mood among the fans reflected that.
‘Arsene Wenger, we’re coming for you,’ was the one chant everyone joined in with just as the train arrived into London before they bellowed out: ‘We’re on our way, to the Emirates, we’re on our way’.
High spirits, anticipation and tinfoil FA Cups. At Finsbury Park, where the train finished its journey, the mood lifted once again. Painted faces, inflatables and, of course, cardboard cutouts of the Lincoln Imp.
One of those with his face painted red and white was Neil Maplethorpe, 63, from Lincoln. He was waiting for his four sons when he caught his first glimpse of the Emirates Stadium.
‘What have those Cowley boys done to get us here?’ he said. ‘This really is something special.’
Special indeed. Lincoln’s tremendous run in the FA Cup has put the city back on the map. The team’s run has caught the imagination of a nation and yesterday the capital seemed captivated too.
Ahead of kick-off hundreds of fans met in Trafalgar Square and Covent Garden. After so many years in the wilderness, the fans wanted people to realise that the city of Lincoln isn’t just famous for its cathedral and sausages.
Onlookers, noticing the red and white shirts, asked whether they were Arsenal fans. ‘No, mate. We’re Lincoln City,’ one fan said pointing to the badge on his top.
They are proud of their club now. The pride and passion was evident in the stands. Shirts off, chests out, all in unison and singing proud. They created a special atmosphere. Arsenal’s fans, at least until they were 3-0 up, barely made a noise. Discontent surrounds the club with many believing Wenger is ruining their club. A club that still can finish in the Premier League’s top four and win the FA Cup. It really isn’t so bad — just ask Lincoln’s fans.
They may be top of the National League by five points, into the FA Trophy semi-finals and may have created history in the FA Cup, but go back just six years and the situation wasn’t this rosy.
When they were relegated in 2011 to the Conference on the last game of the season against Aldershot it hit home to some that Lincoln may not play League football again for some time.
‘It’s been so low, there have been tears… lots of tears. Even the cathedral cast a dark shadow over us,’ said 63-year-old Chris Ashton, a lifelong supporter and club volunteer. ‘The bad times bonded us together in a funny way.’
The club was in mourning and it was something manager Danny Cowley felt necessary to remind the players of when he and brother and assistant Nicky took charge last summer.
The players were shown the Aldershot game to show them how bad things can get. ‘It was like a train had derailed and we had no way of being picked back up,’ Ashton added.
There is no doubt now that they have been lifted back on to the tracks. Even when Arsenal got a fifth it made no difference. No glumness in the Lincoln end. ‘We are Imps, we are Imps, we are Imps,’ came the defiant cry.
The Lincoln Loco may have slowed on this occasion but it shows no sign of hitting the buffers now the Cowleys are in the driving seat.