On-loan Blues winger Danny Rowe was in the Lincoln City side which upset the odds to beat Shrewsbury Town 1-0 in the final of the Checkatrade Trophy at Wembley this afternoon.
The 26-year-old (third right, number 24) played the first 64 minutes for the Imps, who are sixth in League Two, as they defeated the Shrews, currently third in League One. Elliot Whitehouse scored the game's only goal in the 16th minute.
Former Macclesfield man Rowe joined Lincoln on loan in January and has now made 12 starts and three sub appearances for the Sincil Bank club, scoring two goals.
The final was a meeting of two managers linked with the Blues job which will become vacant when Mick McCarthy departs at the end of the season.
Shrewsbury’s Paul Hurst, perhaps the more likely candidate of the two given his greater experience at a higher level, is ranked ninth in the running by bookies Bet Victor at 16-1 at the time of writing, while Imps boss Danny Cowley remains the favourite at 2-1.
Cowley previously played down links with Town and his brother and assistant Nicky reiterated that position ahead of the final.
"We’re completely focused on everything we’re doing at the moment at Lincoln and it’s been a pretty hectic period so we haven’t had any opportunity at all to think about anything else other than trying to be successful at the football club we are working at,” he told talkSPORT.