English League Cup/Fulham 5 Lincoln 4: Brian McBride's last-gasp extra-time winner settled a sensational cup tie in which seven goals were scored in the final 50 minutes with the momentum swinging dramatically from one team to the other.
Lincoln appeared dead and buried after 70 minutes. How wrong that proved.
After labouring fruitlessly for a goal they roared back from a 2-0 deficit to equalise and force their Premiership opponents into a desperate spell of defending.
Fulham scored twice before Lincoln replied again as part of a half an hour five-goal flurry. Things had hardly settled before a barrage on the Fulham goal culminated in Marvin Robinson making it 4-4.
Liam Rosenior had nabbed the first in extra-time after Adam Green's corner and Fulham's nerves appeared to be settled by Tomas Radzinski's finished. Lincoln still refused to lay down though, and secured a comeback that made a mockery of Fulham's status as a top-flight team. McBride eventually saved their blushes.
The contest was enlivened when Francis Green thumped a strike that flew into the far corner after 70 minutes.
It discomfited Fulham enough to warrant the arrival of Brian McBride as a substitute. Moritz Volz also came on and ironically it was his own goal that levelled things.
Fulham's manager Chris Coleman said he was treating this seriously.
Those words seemed nothing more than an exercise in diplomacy when the team sheets revealed he had changed his entire team and was starting with two centre backs in central midfield.
But Collins John and Heidur Helguson linked to good effect when John found Helguson and he delivered a good cross that was headed in by Zesh Rehman.
Lincoln had little time to recover before Fulham had doubled their advantage.
John tested Alan Marriott with a long-range effort that stung the goalkeeper's palms but Helguson was on hand to knock in the rebound with an untidy finish but the home fans didn't care.
FULHAM: Batista, Rosenior, Goma, Christanval, Green, Elrich, Rehman (Volz 81), Leacock (Radzinski 63), Timlin, Helguson, John (McBride 73). Subs Not Used: Warner, Milsom. Booked: Green, Christanval. Goals: Rehman 26, Helguson 31, Rosenior 93, Radzinski 95, McBride 120.
LINCOLN CITY: Marriott, Beevers (Marvin Robinson 75), Morgan, McAuley, Cryan, Brown, Green, Keates (Mayo 80), Kerr, Molango (Asamoah 97), Birch. Subs Not Used: Bloomer, Ryan. Booked: Molango. Goals: Green 70, Volz 82 og, Kerr 101, Marvin Robinson 115.
Referee: K Stroud (Dorset).
