MX23RW : Wednesday, November 14 07:07:19

Danny Cowley: Elite Performance Centre can help Lincoln's promotion push

The Imps have reinvested prize money from their historic FA Cup run into building a new training centre.

Lincoln boss Danny Cowley thinks the club's new state-of-the-art training facility could give them the edge this season in the race for promotion from League Two.

The Elite Performance Centre, which will become the training home to Lincoln's first-team squad, cost £1.3million to build and was paid for by prize money and gate receipts from the club's historic run to the FA Cup quarter-finals during the 2016/17 campaign.

The Imps, then a non-league club, reached the last eight of the competition, knocking out Ipswich, Brighton and Burnley along the way before finally succumbing to Arsenal at the Emirates Stadium.

Lincoln are now currently top of League Two and Cowley thinks the facility can only provide them with an advantage going forward, as the club targets a second promotion in three years.

"In the first two seasons we were working between an army barracks and a school playing field, so it's going to give us huge benefits, and our academy is only a stone's throw away now too," Cowley told Press Association Sport.

"The difference between success and failure is small margins, so you're always looking for ways to get the right side of those small margins – we call them one percenter's. When we are in properly and up and running then we see it as being a real advantage.

"It will allow us to develop players individually and collectively and help with recruitment, as players who maybe weren't available to us when we didn't have a training ground maybe will be now."

The facility, which is set to be fully operational before the end of month, includes three elite grass football pitches, a fully equipped gym, changing rooms and new staff offices. The training ground features two specialist television towers that will enable Lincoln's technical staff to film and analyse training in real-time.

"Our mantra is about trying to provide the players with the best possible chance to play at their best and these facilities will only enhance that," said Cowley.

"We do lots of video analysis and film every training session and now we can get up really high to a high vantage point. That's important to us as we learn lots from doing that."

Lincoln will attempt to embark on another FA Cup run on Saturday when they host League Two rivals Northampton.

Cowley said: "The facility shows what an impact prize money can have, it is a legacy and creates a platform for the club to push on to future successes.

"We love playing at Sincil Bank and we love the FA Cup, so here's hoping we can have some more success in the competition."


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A general view of the ground ahead of the Scottish Premiership match between Celtic and Inverness Caley Thistle at Celtic Park on May 24, 2015
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Tables
TeamPWDLFAGDPTS
1Lincoln City17113332151736
2MK Dons1797124101434
3Colchester UnitedColchester1794431161531
4Tranmere RoversTranmere178632516930
5Exeter CityExeter178542617929
6Newport CountyNewport178542529-429
7Mansfield TownMansfield17610125131228
8Stevenage178452116528
9Forest Green RoversForest Green176922617927
10Bury1775528181026
11Carlisle UnitedCarlisle177281922-323
12Crawley TownCrawley177282429-523
13Port Vale176471721-422
14Yeovil TownYeovil165652318521
15Oldham AthleticOldham175662118321
16Northampton TownNorthampton175662021-121
17Swindon TownSwindon175661922-321
18Crewe AlexandraCrewe175481619-319
19Cambridge UnitedCambridge175391627-1118
20Morecambe1752101729-1217
21Grimsby Town1743101123-1215
22Notts County173592036-1614
23Cheltenham TownCheltenham162591225-1311
24Macclesfield TownMacclesfield1714121435-217

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