Chairman Bob Dorrian delighted as FA Cup run boosts Lincoln's finances

Since dropping out of the Football League in 2011 the Imps have struggled both on and off the field.

However, the appointment of Cowley brothers Danny and Nicky in May 2016 has sparked an upturn in fortunes at Sincil Bank, with Lincoln currently top of the Vanarama National League, in the quarter-finals of the FA Trophy and now the last eight of the FA Cup.

Saturday's 1-0 win at Premier League Burnley made the club at least £500,000 and a potential clash with giants Arsenal lies in wait for City if fellow non-League club Sutton fail to pull off another shock on Monday night.

Dorrian, who missed the game as he is in South Africa, is pinching himself and told BBC Radio Lincolnshire: " We probably made gross...close to half a million just out of the Burnley tie and almost certainly we're going to get another £250,000 TV money.

"The money from the gate revenue at Arsenal is difficult to calculate really but let's say they had 50,000 people there, I think that would take us to close to half a million again. So over the two games - Burnley and Arsenal - we could probably make gross about a million pounds.

"Nine months ago, let's say a year ago, before Danny and Nicky came in, we were very much hand to mouth, although with Clive Nate's investment that helped us enormously and took quite a bit of the pressure off us.

"But until Clive came on the scene we were literally hand to mouth every month and for the last five years it's been very, very difficult maintaining the financial status of the football club and keeping everything going.

"So what has happened in this last nine months to a year is an absolute revelation to us and we're so thankful that it has happened otherwise it would have been another season of toil and trouble and being on the edge financially perhaps.

"It's been a fantastic season for us. Words can't really describe what has happened. The treble is still on and a distant vision of Europe!"

Dorrian is hoping Arsenal can get the better of Lincoln's National League rivals at Gander Green Lane to set up another mouthwatering tie, and added: " I wish Sutton the very best of luck, obviously, but for us the big prize is for us to go to the Emirates to play Arsenal and the great thing is that just about all of our fans will be able to fit into the Emirates.

"If we want to take 10,000 to the Emirates I'm pretty certain that we, or Arsenal, would be able to accommodate them, so that in itself is great - that anybody who wants to see Lincoln in the next round of the cup will be able to get a seat. I ideally hope so anyway."