Monday, 9am. Sincil Bank is shrouded in fog but the impact of the Cowley brothers and the FA Cup on Lincoln City is clear. Hundreds queue for tickets for Saturday’s fourth-round tie against the Championship leaders Brighton and Hove Albion even though, as season-ticket holders, they have until Wednesday to buy them. “The managers have had a huge impact,” says Nigel Godfrey. “The joke around the club is when do they ever sleep?” Godfrey got up at 4am to drive from Manchester and is heading straight home. “I’ve got to get back for the school run.” The Cowleys’ example of reward through sacrifice has resonated.
Supporters who stood in the bitter cold outside Lincoln’s home of 122 years, some from 4.20am, shared two common beliefs as club staff offered tea, coffee and £2 bacon rolls. A return to the Football League after a six-year absence remains the priority for the National League club despite illuminating the FA Cup third round with defeat of Ipswich Town. And not since the late Graham Taylor in the mid-1970s has a manager had such a unifying effect on Lincoln the club and the city as Danny Cowley and his assistant Nicky. “The town is buzzing again,” says David Louth. “The manager has brought everybody together.” Marlene Beaumont, one of many who travelled to Barrow on Tuesday for a televised game and a surprise 3-0 defeat, adds: “The fans stuck by the club through the bad times and now we’re getting the good.”
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