As a National League team, Lincoln City started in the Fourth Qualifying Round, where they were drawn with fellow National League team, Guiseley at home. After a 0–0 draw at Sincil Bank, they won the replay 2–1 at Nethermoor Park due to goals from Adam Boyes and Theo Robinson. In the First Round Proper, they drew National League North side Altrincham at home, where they won 2–1 due to goals from Sean Raggett and Alan Power. In the Second Round they drew Football League One team Oldham Athletic. At Sincil Bank, Lincoln City progressed after a 3–2 win due to two goals from Robinson and one from Terry Hawkridge. In the Third Round, they drew Football League Championship Ipswich Town away. After a 2–2 draw at Portman Road they won the replay at Sincil Bank 1–0 due to a goal from Nathan Arnold. In the Fourth Round they played Football League Championship team Brighton & Hove Albion at Sincil Bank. Lincoln City won 3–1 due to goals from Power, Robinson and an own goal from Fikayo Tomori to set up the match with Premier League Burnley.
Match
Burnley went into the match with only three home defeats in their last 29 games. Lincoln approached the game using their players in numbers to Burnley's tactics. In the first half, both rams had chances with Lincoln's Jack Muldoon shooting over the crossbar and Burnley's Andre Gray getting a shot on target but it was saved by Lincoln goalkeeper Paul Farman. The first half finished 0–0. During the second half, there was a contest between Burnley's Joey Barton and Lincoln's Matt Rhead which eventually ended up in a brawl inside Lincoln's penalty area when Rhead claimed Barton had stamped on him and then Barton pushed Terry Hawkridge in the face and received a yellow card for it. Lincoln then started putting crosses into Burnley's penalty area. Eventually Lincoln scored on 89 minutes with their first and only shot on target of the game due to a header from Sean Raggett, which was confirmed via goal-line technology. Burnley responded with a number of attacks during five minutes of stoppage time, forcing Lincoln to defend a number of shots and corner kicks however Lincoln held on for the win becoming the first non-league side in 103 years to reach the FA Cup quarter-finals. After the match, the Lincoln City manager Danny Cowley called it a "football miracle" and said about the goal "thank God for goal-line technology!". Burnley manager Sean Dyche said "I'm only gutted in the sense that could happen...My team were nowhere near the level they can show. You have to work, be diligent and believe you will get another chance. I think they only had one chance, credit to them." As a result of their victory, Lincoln City were drawn away in the quarter finals at Premier League Arsenal at the Emirates Stadium, where they were offered 9,000 away tickets. This was the full 15% away allocation permitted under FA Cup regulations, which Arsenal had only previously offered twice before due to safety concerns.
