The FA Cup first round is always one of the most exciting weekends on the calendar, where the normal rules of football go out of the window and anyone can beat anyone.
This year proved no different with non-league teams pulling off wins against EFL opposition, a record-breaking goal scored and a match where the weather made it almost impossible to see what was actually going on.
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“It’s going to take a bit to sink in,” Wimborne Town manager Tim Sills said on TNT Sports after his side created their own piece of FA Cup history.
The seventh-tier outfit provided the upset of the weekend when they knocked out League Two Crawley Town on Sunday, with a convincing 2-0 win, to reach the second round of the competition for the first time in their history.
Dorset club Wimborne play in the Southern League Premier Division South and were in the first round for only the second time but heaped more misery on manager-less and bottom of the league Crawley, despite the 57 places in the pyramid between them.
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Fellow non-league sides Stafford Rangers and Cray Wanderers also played their part in a dramatic day of action, pushing their higher opposition right to the wire.
Grimsby Town needed penalties to overcome eighth-tier Stafford Rangers after a thrilling match ended 3-3 after extra time.
Ninth-tier Cray meanwhile were leading Stockport County 2-1 until the 81st minute and on the way to overturning a mammoth 113-team gap between the two, only for the League One promotion challengers to score an equaliser to take the game to extra time – where they scored again to seal the win.
“I’m super proud, it is a shame we couldn’t get over the line,” said Cray manager Tim O’Shea. “We nearly got there.”
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Saturday evening’s tie between Altrincham and Notts County should have had enough drama on the pitch, with the result going to extra time and penalties, to keep everyone’s eyes on the action.
The only problem was a thick cloud of fog started to descend over the J Davidson Stadium towards the hour mark of the regular 90 minutes, and by the time penalties came around camera operators, commentators and fans could barely see a thing.
“From where we were, opposite the dugouts, once the play went to the centre circle and beyond, we couldn’t see a thing,” said BBC Sport commentator Steve Bower.
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“We couldn’t see which team had the ball, let alone which player had the ball after about the 60th minute. Bearing in mind it went to extra-time, it was challenging.”
The honour of the biggest giantkilling of Saturday went to National League Kidderminster Harriers, who knocked out League One Doncaster Rovers with a convincing 3-0 victory.
Kiddy are currently 13th in the fifth tier with Doncaster 20th in League One, 42 places above them.
Kiddy have a long history of upsets – reaching the fifth round in 1994 and fourth in 2022 – and the way they dismissed League One side Doncaster Rovers through goals from Lewis Walker, Maz Kouhyar and David Davis felt almost effortless.
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“It’s an outstanding result and it was an outstanding performance,” said manager Paul Wotton.
“It’s a fantastic day for the players, the fans and the town – a really good day for us.”
Fellow National League side Carlisle United also knocked out an EFL side, beating League Two leaders Salford City at home.
The tie at Brunton Park was much more of a seat-edge affair with Salford fresh from an eight-match winning run, although Carlisle clung on to win 1-0 after David Ajibioye grabbed the only goal late in the first half.
Barrow similarly enjoyed a scalp against higher league opposition, eliminating League Two Gillingham with a 1-0 victory.
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York City fans only had to be a few seconds late after kick-off for their game against Northampton Town to miss the opening goal, with Ollie Pearce crashing home for the hosts after just 10 seconds for what is officially the third-fastest in FA Cup history.
Pearce snapped up his chance to shoot after Zac Johnson’s long-ball forward from the kick-off had caused confusion in the Cobblers’ defence.
“We’ve tried that kick-off a few times and teams really don’t like it,” he told BBC Radio York. “A few of them, as the ball is going up are like, ‘What is going on’.
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“He’s [the defender] misjudged his header slightly and luckily it’s fallen to me. I hit it quite well and it’s ended up in the back of the net.”
Head coach Scott Lindsey added: “We’ve been criticised about that kick-off a few times, but it really is hard to defend.
“We continued it because we always feel we get something from it but what a finish – great start to the game.”
Pearce added a second 10 minutes later as the Minstermen claimed their place in the second round with a comfortable 4-0 win.
Crewe Alexandra went one better than York by actually sticking the ball in the net from halfway, with Charlie McNeill joining in the recent fad of ultra-long range goals, as the League Two Railwaymen saw off League One AFC Wimbledon 2-1.
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McNeill, on loan from Sheffield Wednesday, spotted Dons goalkeeper Josef Bursik off his line and drove the ball over him and into the top corner with 12 minutes on the clock.
“Brilliant technique, I’m really pleased for him,” Crewe manager Lee Bell told BBC Radio Stoke.
“That shows the confidence he’s got in himself and that’s how he’s been training. An excellent goal, probably the best goal you’ll see all weekend.”
McNeill was more modest about his own amazing strike, saying: “I nudged the centre-half, took it down and saw the keeper off his line and thought I’ll have a go. Luckily, it went in.
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“I’ve never done that before, I’ve tried it but it’s never gone in – delighted to score a goal like that.”
The growing reduction of the gap between the bottom two divisions of the EFL and the National League was clearly evident when bookmakers made Boreham Wood, top of the fifth tier, favourites as they took on League One strugglers Wigan Athletic at Meadow Park.
With The Wood 12 points clear at the top and unbeaten going into the game, and the Latics on a run of four straight defeats, a home win would barely have registered as an upset.
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Wigan, winners as recently as 2013, showed there is still life in them yet as they eased to a 3-0 win as Jon Mellish and Morgan Fox (2) inflicted a first defeat of the season on Luke Garrard’s side.
“They were favourites for the game and it was a little bit disrespectful,” said manager Gary Caldwell.
“We are a very good League One team, albeit we’ve not had the start we’d like, but when I see things like that, I thought people expected us to come here and get beat.
“We showed a professionalism, an attitude, a desire and hunger to win a football match that you need to win an FA Cup match away from home.”
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West Yorkshire served up two truly dramatic first round ties at very different venues, as League One leaders Huddersfield Town took on Exeter City from the division below and a few miles down the road Guiseley of the seventh-tier Northern Premier League Premier hosted National League Sutton United at Nethermoor Park.
The Terriers were, obviously, the highest-placed team in the round but they were turned over by the Grecians, who sit a point outside the play-off places in the division below.
Centre-back Jack Taylor put the visitors ahead and after Ibane Bowat had levelled for resurgent Town after the break it looked bleak – until Charlie Cummins conjured up a winner with nine minutes left.
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Sutton famously knocked out Coventry City in 1989 but they succumbed to a team from two divisions lower in the Leeds suburb of Guiseley.
The National League side’s on-loan Manchester City goalkeeper Spike Brits had produced a stunning save to keep things level but deep in added time Guiseley were awarded a penalty and the nerveless Jordan Thewlis slotted it home.
