Amid the heartwarming stories about the magnificent Maidstone United and magic of the Cup this week, it was hard not to think about one of the best underdog tales of the 21st century: National League Lincoln City and their run to the quarter-finals in 2017.

Lincoln are a living and breathing example of the legacy of such a cup run for a non-league side. They are, of course, no longer a non-league side, with the Imps now in their seventh season in the Football League, this campaign their fifth in League One.

As a rare case of a county with no motorway, the cup run under Danny and Nicky Cowley put this club on the road to a glory decade in which they also won an EFL Trophy at Wembley and had two promotions, plus a League One play-off final defeat to Blackpool in 2021.

‘This club went from averaging 3,000 gates then to just below 9,000 at the weekend. Our fanbase is 33 per cent old faces who have been coming for a long time rain or shine, and 66 per cent of people who came on board because of that cup run.

When looking at Maidstone United’s cup run, it is hard not to think of the success of Lincoln City in 2017

Maidstone have reached the last 16 of this year’s competition and beat Championship Ipswich in the last round

Lincoln beat the likes of Premier League Burnley on their run, which eventually came to an end at the hands of Arsenal

‘The fact we have been able to maintain that engagement is a proud thing for me, we kept momentum up with promotions, plus working with the schools and community. If you define Lincoln City FC, you can see the legacy of that cup run throughout.’

Lincoln, as fans won’t mind being pointed out, are punching above their weight. They are a unique club that has community values at the heart of the ethos. ‘Win-develop is our North Star, we want to constantly move forward,’ adds Scully.

‘We sign players before their peak and sometimes they run faster than us as a club so we trade them up the pyramid. Harry Toffolo at Nottingham Forest is our record sale and we’re really proud of his development but we’re the beneficiaries of spotting his talents early.

‘We are at the start of a new six-year cycle. We’re not afraid to say we want to be a sustainable Championship club by the end of it, Lincoln the city and county deserves a second-tier team, it’s a great football club of 140 years.

‘We can’t gamble the farm on red or black. It’s not about making quantum leaps, it’s about being successful and sustainable without having to dip into our owners’ pockets. We’ve all become numb to that in football, it shouldn’t be that owners’ money is needed to be successful.’

Chief executive Liam Scully said Lincoln’s fan base is 66 per cent made up of fans that started supporting the club after the cup run

Harry Toffolo (right) is the record sale of a player for Lincoln – he joined Huddersfield in 2019 after City had identified his talents early

Signing unproven stars is not limited to players – boss Michael Skubala is also in his first full-time management role, after taking over at Leeds on an interim level after Jesse Marsch was sacked in the Premier League last season.

The 41-year-old has walked a not-so-trodden path to the job, having started his coaching badges at 17, studying sports science at university and working as a teacher before heading up England’s futsal programme, essentially five-a-side at a professional level.

It’s an indoor version of football played on a hard surface, similar to a basketball court. Skubala believes the values of using the goalkeeper as an outfield player, plus a possession-based game, have influenced his coaching which also involved time at the FA and UEFA.

When coaching futsal, he worked with Wolves defender Max Kilman and Arsenal prodigy Charlie Patino, and worked at the FA alongside the likes of revered Newcastle transfer chief Dan Ashworth and impressive Luton boss Rob Edwards.

Lincoln boss Michael Skubala is in his first full-time management role on the back of taking over at Leeds on an interim basis last season

Scully has admitted that Lincoln are firm believers of staying in their lane and growing together as a unit

‘As an Englishman that people associate with futsal, I’m quite unique,’ Skubala tells Mail Sport, ‘But if I was in Brazil or Spain, I’d be one of millions. At first you think it’s just a game of five a side but it’s not. There’s lots of transferable skills just like any sport.

‘I discovered futsal when I was at university and thought, ‘Oh what’s this game?’. So I started to look at moulding football and futsal together. I went to Loughborough as a coach then back into non-league coaching in the National League, I was 23 years old coaching proper men.

‘I didn’t have a top-level playing career but now we’re seeing so many coaches without that, there’s more to owning a dressing room and getting across learning points. Coaching is a vocation in itself and I’ve spent 20 years honing my craft in it.

‘You will speak to many players who struggled to transition. Players must start their journey again as a coach. But I get a buzz from coaching. The reason I started is because it gave me something playing didn’t give me. I’ve always been into tactics and helping people.

‘I loved the Leeds experience. I don’t think there’s many jobs that can give you 10 years of experience in one year! You don’t realise how big of a club Leeds is until you’re in it. Even managing the Under 21s, we took 4-5,000 to an away game at Crewe in the U21s.

‘And now Lincoln is a great experience. The pressure cooker of management is fantastic because every day you have to be at your best. There’s more pressure as a No 1 but that makes it more enjoyable.

‘When you’re a manager you are essentially just holding the baton for the fans who are everything about the club. Lincoln is similar to Leeds, a one-club city with the same feel – OK, not as many fans – but they want to enjoy games, be noisy and we all enjoy playing for them.’

Skubala credits Lincoln as not being a reactive club like many in the EFL – instead they are proactive, sustainable and plan well in advance – and CEO Scully would agree. Next on the club’s list is to redevelop Sincil Bank and there is work going on with community spaces.

‘We’re a firm believer in sticking in our lane,’ adds Scully. ‘We want players to have good careers with Lincoln City as part of their journey. Our coaches are A-grade practitioners, they help us all develop and grow together. Everything points to our North Star of win-develop.’

Next on Lincoln’s to-do list is develop their stadium, Sincil Bank as they continue to try and move the club forward

Lincoln are 12th in League One ahead of this weekend’s matches, after a hard-fought draw against promotion-chasing Peterborough last Saturday. Next off the production line could be star striker Freddie Draper, the 19-year-old cutting his teeth in the first team.

There are plenty of nods to the club’s past around Sincil Bank, such as the Stacey West Stand which is named after two away fans who died in the Bradford stadium fire, Bill Stacey and Jim West, and many relics of promotions and Wembley trips. But this is a club only moving forward.