Sean Raggett popped up in the last minute to earn non-league Lincoln City a shock 1-0 win over Premier League opponents Burnley at Turf Moor in the fifth round of the FA Cup.
The Imps' first shot on target of the match proved to be the winner, as the centre-back - also on target against Altrincham in the qualifying stage - found a way past Tom Heaton from a corner.
A near full-strength Burnley could only muster a few half-chances across the 90 minutes, becoming the victims of one of the great cup upsets in the competition's modern history.
Relive how the 90 minutes of action unfolded with Sports Mole's live text coverage below.
Hello and welcome to Sports Mole's live text coverage of the FA Cup meeting between Burnley and Lincoln City at Turf Moor. The first tie of the fifth round takes places in Lancashire, pitting together two sides separated by three divisions, but both are in decent form and this should be a lively encounter to kick off a potential weekend of cup upsets (and yet more discussions on weak team lineups!).
Sutton United are the side making all the headlines at the moment, largely due to the fact that they have drawn Arsenal at home in this last-16 stage, but it is Lincoln who arguably deserve more of the praise. The Imps have done superb to make it this far, overcoming Ipswich Town and high-flying Brighton & Hove Albion so far in the competition proper, but this is their toughest test yet against a Clarets side with just three defeats from their last 29 outings on home soil.
TEAM NEWS!
BURNLEY XI: Heaton; Darikwa, Keane, Tarkowski, Flanagan; Arfield, Barton, Westwood, Gudmundsson; Gray, Vokes
LINCOLN CITY XI: Farman, Raggett, Habergham, Waterfall, Wood, Power, Woodyard, Muldoon, Rhead, Arnold, Hawkridge
Starting with a look at the home team, manager Sean Dyche has named a strong XI for this last-16 tie - as expected. Many managers chop and change in the early rounds, but Wembley is now in sight and that has been reflected in the Clarets' XI that boasts a strong spine. Tom Heaton, who has missed just the odd game since joining the club three years ago, starts in goal, while up the other end of the pitch Andre Gray retains his spot in attack.
Jeff Hendrick is one of those to miss out for the hosts today due to a three-match suspension, while Robbie Brady - impressive on his first start for the club last weekend - is another absentee having already featured for Norwich City in this year's competition. Sam Vokes, with seven goals in 29 outings for Burnley this term, joins Gray - seven in 22; none in his last three - in attack, while January recruits Kieran Westwood and Joey Barton man the central midfield.
Lincoln kept us waiting for their team news but it has now been confirmed, with a couple of players missing out today due to injury. Lee Beevers is a long-term absentee with a knee complaint, while Joe Ward - eligible today after being cup-tied against his parent club in the last round - is also left out. Josh Ginnelly is another player to be ineligible today having also feature in a previous round, but boss Danny Cowley can call on the vast majority of those who have helped the club this far.
Theo Robinson was the hero in the third-round fixture against Ipswich, scoring twice in the 2-2 draw at Portman Road before playing a key part in the replay win, but he has since departed for Southend United. Nathan Arnold was the match-wining hero in the reverse tie against the Tractor Boys, scoring in the dying seconds to set up the meeting with Brighton, and he is again named in attack this afternoon for this first tie of fifth-round weekend.
BENCH WATCH!
BURNLEY SUBS: Ward, Boyd, Barnes, Lowton, Robinson, Mee, Agyei
LINCOLN CITY SUBS: Long, Marriott, McCombe, Southwell, McMenem, Walton, Ward
A strong starting lineup named by Dyche, then, and indeed a strong bench to go with it. The energetic George Boyd is afforded a rest after dropping down to the bench from the 1-1 draw with Chelsea here six days ago, while Ben Mee and Matt Lowton are also a part of the squad. Youngster Dan Agyei spent the first half of the season on loan at Coventry City, but he is now back in Dyche's plan and could play a part from the bench this afternoon.
Burnley name a strong starting lineup for today's match, with Andre Gray retaining his place in the attacking line alongside Sam Vokes - a scorer against Bristol City in the last round. The Clarets have also battled their way past Premier League rivals Sunderland to make it to this stage; a replay required in that one following a real bland goalless draw at the Stadium of Light in the initial match in early January.
It is fair to say that Burnley have certainly enjoyed their first campaign back in the top tier, as they sit 12th in the division and are realistically free from any sort of relegation fears. A 1-1 draw against a formidable Chelsea side last weekend took them another step closer to achieving their overriding target for the season, with just 10 more points required to hit that so-called magic 40-point mark and a second-successive term in the top tier.
That means Dyche can now fully focus on the FA Cup, as reflected in his strong starting lineup today, with the Clarets looking to lift this famous cup for a second time in their history, just over a century after last doing so. At a glance the Lancashire outfit's form looks a little inconsistent, but defeat to Watford on February 4 after being reduced to 10 men is near enough their only disappointing result in the past two months or so.
The Clarets have seen off Bournemouth, Middlesbrough, Sunderland and Southampton in successive home matches; that run of wins only coming to an end last weekend with what was a well-earned point against runaway leaders Chelsea. To put that impressive results into some context, Burnley became just the third team since the tail end of September to take points off the Blues, joining Liverpool and Tottenham Hotspur in doing so.
Their home form really has been key, winning nine and drawing two of their 14 matches here - with the odd unlucky result thrown into the mix - to find themselves behind only Arsenal, Tottenham and Chelsea in terms of home form across the season so far. On the flipside, Burnley are rock bottom of the away form table after picking up just the one league point thus far - albeit at Old Trafford a couple of months back - while also losing at Accrington Stanley in the early throes of the EFL Cup.
Seven wins from their last eight games on home soil ensures that Burnley are strong favourites to progress through this afternoon, and going further back the Clarets have lost just three of 29 here. In terms of their FA Cup prospects, they beat Sunderland in a replay and brushed aside Championship strugglers Bristol City 2-0; goals from Vokes and a special Steven Defour goal getting them easily over the line.
Burnley have not reached the sixth round of the FA Cup since 2002-03, however, losing at this stage four times since then, so this is a real chance to put that right and give supporters a chance to dream of some silverware. Had this game been played at Sincil Bank it would have been a tough one to call, even with three divisions between the two sides, but with it being contested at Turf Moor you have to fancy the Clarets to get the job done over the 90 minutes.
PREVIOUS MEETINGS! These two sides have not met since the last century - a 1-1 draw being played out in the third tier of English football in 1999. Three of the last four encounters in all competitions have ended by that same two-goal scoreline, in fact, but Burnley have won all three previous FA Cup ties, albeit after replays in two of them. The Clarets are unbeaten in last seven overall, with Lincoln City's last triumph coming nearly three decades ago now in an old Division Four match.
The Imps may have their work cut out this afternoon, but they are certainly in a confident mood at this moment in time and are well on course to make a return to the Football League following a six-year absence. City top the National League table as we enter the final few months of the season, but it is fair to say that their league aspirations have taken a backseat for the time being as they focus on prolonging this famous cup run.
Lincoln have reached the last 16 for the first time in 115 years thanks to victories over Ipswich and Brighton in rounds three and four - the former after a replay - while also seeing off Altrincham and Oldham in the qualifying rounds. They are now nearly four months into their FA Cup adventure and have finally been rewarded with a plum Premier League opponent, though it could well turn out to be the worst possible draw for them.
Burnley, it is fair to say, do not have the same pedigree of Arsenal, Man United, Chelsea or Spurs, but at the same time they are not as weak as other remaining outfits. Lincoln will fancy their chances of pulling off their third - and biggest - upset of the competition proper over the next couple of hours, though, knowing that they could become the first non-league side to reach the quarter-final stage since Queens Park Rangers did so in 1925.
Lincoln City head into this FA Cup fifth-round tie sitting top of the National League and on the cusp of a return to the English Football League following a six-year absence. The Imps have certainly caught the eye in the competition so far, beating Championship opposition in Ipswich Town and Brighton & Hove Albion to make it this far, but could their journey be about to come to a crashing halt this afternoon against a Burnley side boasting one of the country's best home records?
At the centre of this success is boss Danny Cowley and brother Nicky Cowley, who is at the club in an assistant manager capacity. The sibling duo have already worked miracles by making Lincoln the first team outside of the English Football League to reach this fifth-round stage since Crawley Town did so in 2011, and only the third team since the turn of the century following success for Luton Town in the recent past.
DID YOU KNOW? Lincoln City have won four of their last five National League games, including a battling 3-2 win over Woking last time out, to remain at the top of the division. The Imps have also won four games in a row in all competitions when taking into consideration their famous comeback triumph over Brighton & Hove Albion - themselves likely to be a Premier League team next term - in the last round. Going further back, they have picked up 15 victories in their last 18 games overall, making this one of the best season's in the club's history.
With kickoff at Turf Moor now a little under 15 minutes away, let us check out some pre-match thoughts from both camps.
Sean Dyche: "You have to be mentally prepared for the fact there's 11 out there trying to beat you and not take it for granted because they're that many places below you. There's not a divine right to win football matches, you have to earn everything you get."
Danny Cowley: "It's a tough test for us, they are an outstanding team at home and it will be a monumental task for us to get a win. It's a one in one hundred chance of winning because we have to match them technically and tactically. But we have to go there believing we can and will be that one game in one hundred."
Dyche warning his players that they must "earn the right" to enter the quarter-finals of this competition for the first time since 2003, with this their best chance to do so in the past 14 years. Premier League safety is surely all but assured now as far as the Clarets are concerned, with a nice healthy gap being opened up on the teams at the bottom, so all attention can turn to their cup exploits which may just well end with a trip to Wembley in May - and more!
Cowley acknowledging that beating Burnley on their own turf will be a "monumental" task for his men, meanwhile, and one look at the home form table in the Premier League suggests that he is spot on. The Clarets are behind only Arsenal, Chelsea and Spurs in that regard, winning seven of their last eight games here and picking up a valuable point against league leaders Chelsea in their last outing. Prolong that run today and Lincoln's journey will come to a cruel end.
PREDICTION! Lincoln, who hold the record of being relegated from the Football League more times than any other side, will be looking to make history of a different kind today. Should they pull off a third scalp in succession, they will become the first non-league outfit since Queens Park Rangers in 1912 to make it into the quarter-finals of the FA Cup. This is a tough assignment, though, and I cannot see past a fairly straightforward home win. 3-0.
This is not the only FA Cup tie taking place today, of course, in what is an intriguing fifth-round draw. Eight Premier League teams have made it through, but none of them face off against each other to potentially set up a number of upsets. Expect to see stronger teams named in this round, perhaps barring Leicester and possibly Spurs, as things begin to heat up. Plenty of live coverage to come over the next seven hours or so, but for now all focus is on Burnley vs. Lincoln City.
Both sets of players are now in the tunnel area awaiting their signal to enter the field of play. Lincoln backed by a number of fans today, packing out that away stand behind one of the goals - one of the smaller stands in the English top flight. This is what you would call a 'traditional' ground, generating a classic old-fashioned atmosphere. It is set up nicely for an upset of the kind the FA Cup has become synonymous with, but Burnley will of course have other ideas.
We are moments away from kickoff in Lancashire now as Lincoln City, with only one victory over a top-flight team in the FA Cup in their history, up against Burnley at Turf Moor.
KICKOFF! Burnley get us under way at Turf Moor, sporting their traditional claret and blue home strip. Andre Gray looked to slip in strike partner Vokes early on, but the ball was overhit and Lincoln City keeper Farman was there to collect.
SHOT! The first sight of goal of the afternoon falls the way of the non-league visitors. Heaton's punt upfield was knocked into the path of Arnold, who worked a yard of space and picked out Jack Muldoon in a good position, but the midfielder failed to keep his shot on target.
The Clarets yet to settle in this match, as a backpass to Heaton does not have the pace on it and the keeper blasted it straight out for an opposition throw. Lincoln, on the other hand, well up for it and have already created one half-decent opening.
Burnley win themselves a free kick inside their own half after a challenge on Barton, which is floated into the box for Keane to attack. The centre-back's header did little to test the Lincoln backline, though, with the ball going straight out.
Icelandic international Gudmundsson with a little flick into the box from the right, which is well dealt with by the City defence. I say well dealt with - it was a simple punt up the field to clear their lines. Job done!
A little scare for Burnley, as Heaton races out to collect a loose ball but, under a little pressure, Tarkowski takes the ball away from him and instead plays it out from the back. The hosts yet to create anything in the early stages here.
Muldoon is proving to be a threat so far, spraying a nicely ball in behind for Arnold to race on to. The right winger earned his team a corner, but from that Rhead was guilty of tangling with an opponent and a free kick was awarded.
Bar a couple of goal-kicks, Paul Farman has had nothing to do in the opening 15 minutes of this cup tie. No saves for Heaton to make, either, but Muldoon did have one decent opening that he failed to make the most of early on.
YELLOW CARD! Lincoln midfielder Alan Power goes in Gudmundsson a little too powerfully and earns himself the game's first caution as a result. The Icelandic international appears to be OK to continue following treatment.
SHOT! A first serious shot of the afternoon for Premier League Burnley, which Vokes blasts over the bar from 16 yards out. A difficult technique to meet the ball after it was knocked down from a Tom Heaton free kick.
BURNLEY SUB! Gudmundsson looked to be fine to continue initially, but he has now been replaced by regular first-team midfielder George Boyd out wide. Not sure that is exactly good news for the non-league visitors!
Another corner won by the hosts, which Barton swings towards the penalty area. Keane got his head to the ball but failed to direct it towards goal. Farman still yet to make a save as we enter the second quarter of this cup tie.
Cowley will be more than happy with the way this match is panning out at the moment. Minimum chances at either end, but it is Lincoln who have had the only real opening - Muldoon blasting over from a decent position.
Wood sends a decent delivery into the box towards Muldoon, who again gets himself into a decent area. Tarkowski did enough to prevent the Lincoln man getting any contact on the ball with his head from five yards out.
SAVE! A first save of the match, as Gray gets on the end of Arfield's flick and rather scuffs a shot on target for Farman to keep out down low. Simple stop in the end, but at least he is now being asked to do some work.
Not sure about Farman's decision making for this one. The keeper came off his line in an attempt to punch clear a ball into the box, but a mixture of Raggett and Vokes got there first and the ball flew just wide of an empty net.
Burnley opt to try something different from their latest left-sided corner, but the ball never makes its way into the mixer and Boyd eventually gives away a free kick on the opposite flank. Lincoln settled very well in this match.
The Clarets send a searching ball over the top towards Vokes, but Habergham does well to get there first to head back to his keeper. A half of minimum chances - and indeed talking points - so far, but it does at least remain well balanced.
Rhead leaps highest and picks out Muldoon just six yards from goal, but he cannot quite get a shot away on the turn. Burnley counter but Boyd's poor decision making sees the ball trickle out of play for a goal-kick.
A subdued home crowd at the moment, being given little to feed off on the pitch. Andre Grey had one weak shot a little earlier to forced a stop out of Farman, but that aside we have seen little from Burnley in an attacking sense.
SAVE! A decent attempt from Barton on the edge of the box, with the midfielder putting his foot through the ball on the volley after getting on the end of a knockdown. Straight at Farman in the end - his second stop of the match.
A couple of minutes remaining in the first half of this evenly-contested tie at Turf Moor. Burnley have edged things over the past 20 minutes or so, but Lincoln doing more than enough to keep the scores level at the midway point.
Lincoln win themselves a free kick at the end of normal time, which Arnold looks to send towards the head of Rhead. A foul was committed, though, and the visitors chance to take a shock lead into the interval goes begging. Two minutes of added time to come.
HALF TIME: BURNLEY 0-0 LINCOLN CITY
A rare chance for Burnley right at the end of the first half, as Keane brilliantly controls the ball and tees it up for Arfield to smash narrowly over the crossbar. All square at the interval, then, meaning that Lincoln City's dream FA Cup tie remains alive and well. Work for Burnley to do after the restart.
City started well and had a decent chance to open the scoring just a few minutes in after Jack Muldoon got on the end of a Nathan Arnold pass but blasted over the bar. That would prove to be the visitors' cleanest sight of goal in a tight first half, with Burnley edging things through a scuffed Andre Gray shot down the middle and Joey Barton's edge-of-the-box volley for Paul Farman to again easily keep out.
Burnley named a strong side for this match in the hope of keeping their own cup dream alive, making just a few changes from the draw against Chelsea here a few days ago, but they were struggling to create any clear-cut openings. That Gray attempt aside on the half-hour mark, they were otherwise restricted to attempts from distance, with Sam Vokes and Scott Arfield both missing the target.
Burnley boss Sean Dyche was forced into an early change due to an injury sustained by Gudmundsson, meaning an appearance for George Boyd, one of those players left out from the draw with Chelsea. We are unlikely to see any further changes at the interval, but the Clarets do have further options on the bench should it remain goalless come the hour mark.
BURNLEY SUBS: Ward, Barnes, Lowton, Robinson, Mee, Agyei
LINCOLN CITY SUBS: Long, Marriott, McCombe, Southwell, McMenem, Walton, Ward
RESTART! Lincoln City, still awaiting their first on-target attempt of the match, get us back up and running in Lancashire. Burnley boss Dyche has not made any further changes at the break, instead sticking with the XI that ended the first half.
Near enough the Clarets' best sight of goal so far, as Gray slotted the ball through for Arfield. Just a tad too much pace on it, though, and Farman got there first. Keeper took a blow to the face in the process so a little stoppage in play.
Promising signs for Burnley early on if that previous move is anything to go by. Did not see near enough from the hosts' attacking players in the first half, with Gray getting in behind just once to test Farman.
CHANCE! Another good chance for Gray to blast his side ahead, but he gets his contact all wrong when getting on the end of a teasing Joey Barton free kick near the front post. Really should have been doing better, instead sending it wide.
The hosts have upped the tempo since the restart and are certainly now making their opponents work harder to keep their clean sheet intact. The longer it remains like this the more confident Lincoln will be of earning a replay.
Cowley will not bee too concerned just yet because, while Burnley are now enjoying some sustained pressure, their keeper is still not really being tested. Approaching the hour mark - a time when subs tend to be made.
Muldoon with a nice powerful header at the end of a free kick which is dealt with by Heaton. Arnold then gets the beating of Flanagan down the right but his cross is cut out near the front post - good play from the non-league side.
Power, booked in the first half for a strong challenge on Gudmundsson, is this time on the receiving end when caught by Barton's stray elbow. No intention and he should be fine to play on once given some treatment.
The match has calmed down a little not following a fairly bright opening seven minutes or so to the half by Burnley. Cowley and Dyche perhaps thinking about making a change around about now, with less than half-hour left to play.
Rhead and Barton have just had a little coming together - not for the first time today. Rhead is implying that he was stamped on, but it is Barton who is down on the ground. Replays show that the contact on the Burnley man was minimal to say the least.
LINCOLN CITY SUB! A first change of the afternoon made by Cowley, who takes off one of his star performers in Muldoon for Southwell. City almost in behind but Rhead could not quite get the ball under control when picked out in the air.
Westwood skews a shot wide of goal. Just seen a replay of that Barton incident again and it really is an embarrassment. The controversial midfielder (that prefix has to be used when it comes to him), stamped on Rhead's foot and then walked into his arm claiming that he was elbowed. Get up!
The Imps bossing possession for the past five minutes, getting a number of crosses into the area. Another heads towards the frame of Rhead, who again gets under it and fails to pick out a teammate or the target. We are now into the final quarter of the match.
YELLOW CARDS! Joey Barton needs to be taken off. First, Woodyard was sent tumbling and a coming together ensued. Barton comically flattened Hawkridge to earn a booking, while Wood was also booked for his part in the incident.
BURNLEY SUB! Sam Vokes's afternoon has come to an end, with Ashley Barnes on in his place. Fresh legs in attack and potentially some fresh ideas, because at the moment it just is not working for the Clarets.
Time fast ticking down now at Turf Moor as we enter the final 14 minutes of the match. Burnley win a free kick which is sent in by Barton and met by Barnes, but Farman was there to collect. One shot on goal in this second half and just three all afternoon.
Lincoln likely to sit back a little more now. For 15 minutes or so they were really going for it, sending in numerous balls to targetman Rhead, but it is now a case of seeing this one through and claiming a money-spinning replay.
SAVE! Darikwa makes good inroads down the right, sending a ball into a good area. Boyd helps it on to Gray, but Farman is quickly off his line and the striker failed to get the better of him. Good chance for the hosts.
A Darikwa header from Burnley's latest corner ends wide of the target. City good value to see out these final eight minutes and become one of the rare sides to come here and prevent Burnley from winning over the past couple of seasons.
Power loses possession in midfield and Burnley can quickly get forward. Arfield is the man picked out on the edge of the box, but his shoot is rather poor and ends well over Farman's bar. Six minutes for Lincoln to see through!
Lincoln playing a high line at the moment which is leaving hearts in mouths, as Gray gets in behind but cannot keep his shot on target. The visitors got the be careful now - the last thing they want to do is throw this away at the death.
A little confusion at the back but Lincoln manage to get the ball clear. Farman taking all the time in the world over each goal kick and free kick now, with normal time very nearly up in this opening fifth-round cup tie.
GOAL! BURNLEY 0-1 LINCOLN CITY (SEAN RAGGETT)
WOW!!! Lincoln City are on the brink of FA Cup history! Sean Raggett, goalscorer in the first round at Altrincham, scores in the final minute of normal time to set up a huge upset in the fifth round. Lincoln won a corner and the centre-back's header just about crossed the line despite Heaton's best efforts.
Andre Gray looking for a response in the third minute of five added on, but Lincoln's defenders lunge in to block it aside. All Burnley now, with the visitors just moments away from history. Heaton has come up for a corner...
FULL TIME: BURNLEY 0-1 LINCOLN CITY
Well, well, well. Lincoln City played that to absolute perfection, restricting their opponents to minimum chances and stealing the win at the very end of normal time. Sean Raggett, a scorer against Altrincham earlier in the competition, popped up late on to steer the ball past Heaton and stun Premier League opponents Burnley. Lincoln City - non-league Lincoln City! - are in the hat for the quarter-finals of the FA Cup.
That concludes Sports Mole's live text coverage of events at Turf Moor on this historic day in the FA Cup. Live updates from a number of other games are now under way elsewhere on the site, including Manchester City's trip to Huddersfield Town right here, while reaction from this and the day's other matches will be available elsewhere on the site throughout the course of the afternoon. Thanks for joining!
