Lincoln City prepare for biggest FA Cup match in over 115 years
Lincoln City travel to Burnley this weekend to face their biggest match in the FA Cup for over 115 years. The Imps have been on a wondrous cup run this season, having already beaten Championship sides Brighton and Ipswich, as well as League One Oldham. Their reward for three acts of giant killing is a…
Lincoln City travel to Burnley this weekend to face their biggest match in the FA Cup for over 115 years.
The Imps have been on a wondrous cup run this season, having already beaten Championship sides Brighton and Ipswich, as well as League One Oldham. Their reward for three acts of giant killing is a trip to face the Premiership side in the Fifth Round.
Lincoln haven’t featured in the last sixteen of the competition since the 1901/02 season, when they lost to Derby County, before the final was even played at Wembley.
The previous two rounds have seen them face weakened sides from both Brighton and Ipswich, but Burnley won’t be taking the same chance. Manager Sean Dyche attended last week’s 3-2 home win against Woking, and for Burnley it represents a good chance to progress to the next round and move closer to European football.
Lincoln have sold their allocation of 3,200 tickets, significantly less than the 7,000 first requested.
Despite being a top-flight side Burnley’s Turf Moor ground holds under 22,000 people which meant many Imps fans missed out.
However, the club have arranged a big screen so fans without a golden ticket can watch the action unfold at Sincil Bank.
Lincoln will be without FA Cup hero Theo Robinson who made a deadline day move to Southend United, and the responsibility for goals will fall onto burly striker Matt Rhead, and new loan signing Dayle Southwell.
Southwell arrived on-loan from Wycombe, and is eligible to play after just missing out on the squad narrowly beaten by Tottenham in the last round.
Win, lose or draw the City of Lincoln should be proud of its FA Cup heroes for getting this far in the competition.
Watch the action unfold yourself live on BT Sport, Saturday at 12.30pm.
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England will enter the next stage of its roadmap out of coronavirus lockdown on Monday, meaning non-essential retail and gyms can reopen, as well as pubs, bars and restaurants for outdoor service only.
The rules will come into play on Monday, April 12, allowing for the retail sector to open its doors for customers once again, less than two weeks after the latest lockdown easing on March 29, which meant outdoor socialising was allowed for up to six people.
Hospitality venues will be able to reopen as well, but only for outdoor service, with a full reopening planned for May 17 if COVID-19 cases continue to stay low and the vaccination programme keeps its course.
The rule of six does still remain for outdoor socialising, and people are still being asked not to meet indoors with anyone they don’t live with, unless they are part of a support bubble or legally exempt.
People are also still being asked to keep travel down to a minimum, though since March 29 it is no longer a legal requirement to stay local or at home.
The full list of new rules are:
Hairdressers and nail salons can reopen
Public buildings such as libraries and community centres can reopen
Non-essential retail (clothes shops etc) will be able to return to business
Self-contained accommodation will be able to reopen for overnight stays with your household or support bubble
Weddings, wakes and other commemorative events will be allowed up to 15 people, including inside, but wedding receptions must be outdoors
All childcare and supervised activities will be allowed indoors and outdoors for all children, this is also the case for parent and child groups
Most outdoor attractions (zoos, theme parks, drive-in performances) will be able to reopen
Care home residents will be able to have two named individuals for regular indoor visits (so long as they have a negative lateral flow test)
Lincolnshire Police’s assistant chief constable, Kerrin Wilson, said: “Lockdown has hit practically every aspect of life as we know it, and perhaps the hardest part has been not being able to connect with family and friends in person.
“The easing of restrictions will come as a great relief to many, and I hope the new rules, which afford us the chance to socialise safely as well as get back to doing some of the things we all took for granted, will contribute to a feeling of wellbeing for us all.
“While many of you will already be busy making plans, some of you may feel a sense of nervousness or worry about society opening back up, and we want to assure you that we are still here to protect you and enforce the rules when needed.
“The easing of restrictions does not mean that lockdown has lifted completely. It is a journey that we are all on, and to enable later restrictions to be lifted in June we must all do our bit to continue to follow the rules now.
Legal limits on the number of people allowed to gather at one time remain in place, social distancing must be maintained, and masks worn in public settings such as shops or public transport to keep yourself and everyone else safe. Let’s continue to be sensible and watch out for each other.”
Meanwhile, to help with keeping cases low, free rapid asymptomatic tests can be ordered at home. Here are the details.
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