National League: North Ferriby targeting Lincoln's scalp

MANAGER Steve Housham hopes North Ferriby United can bring FA Cup giant-killers Lincoln City crashing 'back to earth' after their weekend heroics in reaching the quarter-finals.
North Ferriby's manager Steve Housham.North Ferriby's manager Steve Housham.
North Ferriby's manager Steve Housham.

The Imps’ triumph at Burnley made headlines around the world as Danny Cowley’s men became the first non-League side to reach the last eight of the world’s oldest knockout competition in more than a century.

Lincoln, whose grip on top spot in the National League was strengthened last weekend by Guiseley’s shock win at second-placed Dagenham & Redbridge, return to their main priority of winning promotion when they travel to North Ferriby tonight.

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“Everyone at Ferriby congratulates Lincoln on reaching the last eight of the Cup,” said manager Housham. “It is an amazing achievement. They will be cock-a-hoop after beating Burnley. We need to bring them back to earth.

“It is going to be very difficult, but it will be interesting to see how Lincoln react. They come to us to play in a small stadium after winning at a Premier League ground.

“As always, we will go into the game believing we can get something from it. The last two results (defeats to Braintree and Dover Athletic) have been both frustrating and disappointing.

“We should have won at Braintree, where we were the better team. And we deserved something from Saturday’s game against Dover.”

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The Villagers had a chastening night when the two sides met in the opening week of the season at Sincil Bank. Four goals behind inside 24 minutes and a man down following Ben Middleton’s dismissal, Ferriby went on to lose 6-1 in only their second game at this level.

It was a night that suggested the East Riding club would struggle in the National League but, even allowing for their current position, survival is by no means beyond Housham’s men. Considering Cowley made clear in the immediate aftermath of Saturday’s win at Turf Moor that his players had to be ready for the return to league action - in the process, making perhaps the first mention of North Ferriby United on Match of the Day – the Imps are expected to be fully focused come kick-off.

For Ferriby, eight points – when goal difference is factored in – is the gap to safety that has to be closed over the final 13 games of the season.

Steve Brogan, Ryan Fallowfield and Connor Oliver are all still out for the home side, while Danny Emerton suffered a knock in the 2-1 defeat to Dover and is a doubt.

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Guiseley, who have moved out of the bottom four thanks to a run of five wins in eight outings, are not in action tonight, but York City can give their own survival hopes a boost when Gateshead come to Bootham Crescent.

Yan Klukowski will miss the clash with the calf injury that saw the defender absent from last weekend’s 1-1 draw at Boreham Wood.