SEAN Dyche insists his Burnley side will have to match the ‘energy, will and desire’ of Lincoln City to avoid being on the end of a cup upset at Turf Moor today (12.30pm).

The Clarets welcome the National League leaders and are bidding for a first quarter-final appearance in the FA Cup since 2002/03.

Burnley are huge favourites to end the Imps dream run to the fifth round, but Dyche is under no illusions as to how difficult a challenge it will be for his side.

He was an interested observer at Sincil Bank a week ago as Lincoln edged Woking in a five-goal thriller to maintain their place at the top of the non-league ladder.

“It was a funny old game, and awkward day with the weather, but they did enough to win,” said Dyche.

“They’re an attacking side, play 4-2-4, get the ball forward quickly, various ways they try and play to affect the game, big centre forward who knows the game from years of being in it, and full of energy, will and desire - all the things good teams are made of.

“And we’ve got to make sure we certainly match that and show our quality.

"But you have to go and make it happen.”

Lincoln will travel to Turf Moor having already beaten a League One side (Oldham) and two Championship sides (Ipswich and Brighton) in this year’s competition.

The Imps are led by Danny Cowley and his brother Nicky, who left Braintree Town and jobs in teaching to take full-time positions at Lincoln last June. “They’ve done a good job in non league and come out of teaching I believe, and gone in full time at Lincoln and are making a good show of it,” said Burnley boss Dyche.

“There are many different pathways into football, there’s the debate of managers’ backgrounds, who’s played, who hasn’t, different levels, I don’t think there’s an exact pathway.

“It’s helpful if you’ve played, as you have an inside view, particularly when dealing with players, knowing what they’re going through, but it’s not an absolute prerequisite, which is why football people can go into other businesses and be a success.”

Clarets youngster Josh Ginnelly joined the Imps on loan for the rest of the season in the week before the fifth round draw paired his current club and parent club together.

He won’t be able to feature today but Dyche said the locals he spoke to last week had been impressed by his brief cameos so far, and he made an impact off the bench in the win over Woking.

“He was with us pre-season and has been out on loan and out on loan again,” said Dyche.

“He got a nice finish across goal last week, and from what the fans I was chatting to said, they seemed to think he’d done well in his first game and were a little surprised he didn’t start last week, but maybe the manager was looking at possibles for this week.”