Lincoln to plot Arsenal's FA Cup downfall from West Ham's training ground

09 March 2017 12:23

Lincoln will use West Ham's Chadwell Heath training ground as they bid to cause one of the biggest upsets in FA Cup history by sending Arsenal crashing out of the competition.

Lincoln, who are the first non-league side to reach the quarter-finals of the FA Cup in more than a century after their giant-killing victory against Burnley, will travel to the Emirates Stadium on Saturday night.

Danny and Nicky Cowley, the management duo at Lincoln, approached West Ham in the wake of their sensational fifth-round win about using their facilities.

And manager Slaven Bilic, speaking ahead of his side's Premier League clash against Bournemouth on Saturday, confirmed Lincoln will try to plot the downfall of Arsene Wenger's under-fire Arsenal team by training at Chadwell Heath.

The Cowley brothers, who took over at Lincoln last May, are both life-long West Ham supporters.

"We went home and away as kids, all over the place," Danny Cowley told West Ham's official programme. "One season we went to 36 of the 38 league games so we've loved our time supporting West Ham and we still support the club now from afar.

"We watched the third round game against Manchester City on the Friday night in the hotel ahead of our game at Ipswich. We were disappointed that night that West Ham lost, but quite proud we had managed to stay in the competition longer than them."

While Lincoln will be in FA Cup duty this weekend, West Ham will travel to face Bournemouth in the Premier League.

And Bilic, whose side suffered a 2-1 defeat against Chelsea at the London Stadium on Monday night, said he will use Barcelona's thrilling comeback victory against Paris St Germain as an example to his squad.

The Spanish side scored two injury-time goals to secure their passage through to the quarter-finals on a dramatic night of Champions League football.

"Of course I watched it, and it has to put a smile on your face," said Bilic. "It was everything that football is all about; quality, great goals. We are always talking about it not being over and yesterday is proof of that.

"You see the quality of the players and on the other hand how big, massive players with a lot of experience in the Champions League and so many games behind them in their careers crumbled under such amount of pressure. That is unbelievable.

"It is a great game that you can use in talks with your players. Not only Barcelona but also from the PSG side. It was an unbelievable game to watch."

Source: PA