Lincoln City have written a small but significant piece of club history, beating Burnley 4-1 at Sincil Bank to record their first ever home victory in the Championship. Co-head coach Tom Shaw described his side's second-half performance as "relentless", and few who watched the game would argue with that assessment.

From a goal down to a rout

The Imps did not have it all their own way in the opening 45 minutes. Burnley took the lead and looked, for a spell, like a side capable of making Lincoln pay for their tentative start. Shaw's team pulled level just before the break, however, and that equaliser shifted the mood inside the ground.

At half time, according to Shaw, there was a frank conversation in the dressing room. "After a little discussion at half time we felt we could be a little more ruthless," he told BBC Radio Lincolnshire. "We thought they were there for the taking and our lads were a little bit tentative at certain moments."

What followed was a commanding second half in which Lincoln scored three more times to finish 4-1 winners. "In every area of the game we were far superior," Shaw added. It is the kind of statement that can look rash when a manager says it with twenty minutes to go. Said at full time, after a 4-1 scoreline, it is simply an observation.

What it means for Lincoln

The result ends a four-game winless run for the Imps and gives the Sincil Bank faithful a home win to celebrate in the second tier for the first time. Lincoln were promoted to the Championship ahead of this season and the difficulty of finding wins on home soil has been a recurring theme. That particular pressure has now been lifted.

Shaw was careful not to get carried away, but the relief in his words was clear enough. "We knew this was an important day and a big opportunity, and a dangerous opponent, so I'm just delighted at that feeling at full time for everybody," he said. "The lads went after it, especially in the second half, were relentless with their work and got a big reward."

Lincoln's co-head coaching structure has attracted scrutiny at various points this season, as any unconventional arrangement tends to. Afternoons like this one make those conversations quieter, at least for a week.

Burnley's problems deepen

For Burnley, the afternoon adds another unwanted entry to what has become a difficult campaign. The Clarets, who came into the fixture in relegation trouble, were well beaten in the second half and will return to Turf Moor with little to encourage them ahead of the coming weeks. Losing heavily to a side recording their first home Championship win is the sort of result that sticks in a table and in a dressing room.

The visit to Sincil Bank was always going to be testing: Lincoln, playing for history, carried an obvious motivation. But Burnley's inability to hold a lead and their collapse in the second period will be the concern for whoever takes charge of the team's preparations next week. The Clarets are a club that has been through considerable change in the dugout already this season, and results like this one explain why that pressure never quite eases.

Looking ahead

For Lincoln, the job now is straightforward to describe and harder to deliver: do it again. One home win in the Championship is a milestone; making Sincil Bank a difficult venue over the course of a full second-tier season is the longer ambition. Shaw and his co-coach will know that. For now, though, the Imps' supporters have earned the right to enjoy this one.

Frequently asked

Did Lincoln City win their first home Championship game?
Yes. The 4-1 win against Burnley was Lincoln City's first ever home victory in the Championship.
What was the score in Lincoln vs Burnley?
Lincoln City beat Burnley 4-1 at Sincil Bank. Lincoln fell behind in the first half before equalising just before the break, then scored three more times in the second half.
What did Tom Shaw say after Lincoln beat Burnley?
Lincoln co-head coach Tom Shaw said his side were 'relentless' in the second half and 'far superior in every area of the game', adding that he was delighted for everybody at the club.