Manager Chris Kinnear doesn’t know if Lincoln’s FA Cup heroics will benefit his Dover side when they visit the Imps for a Vanarama National League clash on Friday night.

Play-off chasing Dover sit fifth, six points behind leaders City, whom they face in a game televised from Sincil Bank by BT Sport (7.45pm).

The Imps were on BBC1 on Tuesday night as they stunned Championship side Ipswich in injury-time of their FA Cup third round replay to set up a tie with Brighton.

While Dover had a free Saturday, Lincoln travelled to Gateshead to win an FA Trophy tie but Kinnear is not sure whether the added rest will benefit his side.

Kinnear – who sent scout Kevin Raine to the game while he and his squad watched most of the action after their training session – said: “It’s hard to say what kind of an impact it will make – whether it will play into our hands or not.

“We had extra-time against Cambridge in the FA Cup on a Thursday night and thought that would kill us but two days later we came out and beat Guiseley 2-0.

"You can’t predict anything, we won’t know until the game kicks-off.”

With Dover having played two more games than Lincoln and a couple of the sides below them in the table, they are keen to rekindle their away form after a 2-1 defeat at Macclesfield last time out ended a run of 13 points from a possible 15 away from home.

Kinnear said: “We know we can win away from home in this league. We’re in the play-off places and doing OK.

“We’ve been to Lincoln and won there before. We deservedly beat them at home and they didn’t have much in the way of shots.

“It’s a big game and being on TV adds an extra edge. They are big spenders in this league and expected to be up there.

“The top 11 or 12 sides are either the big spenders or former Football League clubs. We are the smallest club in there with them but we’re holding our own.”

Ricky Modeste is unlikely to feature after spending a night in hospital this week due to a pancreas problem.

Kinnear fielded a mix of first-team squad players and a couple of academy prospects in Monday’s Kent Senior Cup second round 1-0 win at Herne Bay and he said: “It was a worthwhile exercise. It gave them 90 minutes of training in a game situation.”

The win set up a home tie with VCD Athletic in round three.