Cowley the key to Imps’ progression

IT'S been an unforgettable campaign for Lincoln City for so many reasons. While the Imps made history in becoming the first side in over a century to reach the quarter-finals of the , it would have meant little if the club had missed out on promotion. For now, we say goodbye to champions Lincoln as they reclaim their League status, but what do the club need to do in order to ensure they are not featuring in the Non-League columns for the foreseeable future?

Looking back

While a number of Premier League and even Championship sides took another cavalier approach to the FA Cup, you still can't overstate what the Imps achieved in the game's oldest knockout competition. History was made as Danny Cowley's men became the first Non-League side in 103 years to get to the last eight and, of course, there was the notable scalp of Burnley, some four divisions ahead of them.

Losing to Arsenal in the sixth round was clearly no disgrace either, even if it was by an emphatic 5-0 scoreline. It's not been a vintage year for the Red and White half of North London, as evidenced by online bookmaker Betway Insider whose research shows the Gunners to be one of the most notable underachievers in the Premier League – having only won at odds of higher than 8/11 once – but a loss to Wenger's men should not tarnish Lincoln's achievements.

Match statistics show that Sean Dyche's Burnley had the upper hand in that previous tie with 60% possession as opposed to Lincoln's 40% while the Clarets had 17 shots to the Imps' five. Only one of those City shots ended up on target but at times you only need one, plus a significant slice of luck, to seal a game. Against Arsenal, it is to Lincoln's credit that they had two shots on target but the Gunners dominated possession here by 77% to 23% and ultimately that told against Cowley's side.

Bigger prize

Down in Sutton, their own FA Cup run, also undone at the hands of Arsenal rather masked plenty of off field talking points, but Lincoln City did not let themselves get distracted. The National League title has been won and the club finished with a four-point advantage over Tranmere, ending just a point short of the magic figure of 100 points.

Lincoln players celebrate the victory at Burnley in the FA Cup

Lincoln have had a brilliant campaign on all fronts and are back in the League, but how do they stay there? One simple answer to that questions sits with their current manager and the club simply must hold on to Cowley if they are not to make an immediate return to the fifth tier.

Rapid Rise

 

In 2015-16, Cowley was managing part time while juggling his job as a PE teacher and it would have been hard for anyone to envisage just what would happen next. Coming into the match with Arsenal, the Lincoln boss had an impressive win ratio of 64.71% while his side's goals to games average of 2.1 was bettered in the Premier League by Antonio Conte at Chelsea alone. A memorable FA Cup run with lowly of the was among the achievements that made Lincoln's owners take notice of Cowley and overall, this has been an incredible journey for a young manager as he continues to compile an impressive CV.

Could it be a record that tempts another club to come in for the 38-year-old? At that age, there is plenty of time for Danny Cowley to develop and hone his managerial skills and at this late stage of the season, there are no specific rumours linking him with a move away from Sincil Bank. That could all change in the summer, however, as departures are confirmed and from League Two , it's a relatively small step up the ladder. The club have said that they will target the Championship with the current Lincoln City side; it's a division that Cowley will surely be destined for at some stage and all Imps fans will hope that he takes them with him.

Lincoln fans celebrate the club's promotion back into the Football League

In the summer, the boss and the board will have to sit down and discuss the merits of the current squad but the one man whose stay at Sincil Bank is pivotal to League Two survival and hopefully more, is Danny Cowley.

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