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FA Cup Second Round: Niall Cummins Sends Eighth-Tier Marine Through

FA Cup

While the excitement of the FA Cup second round never truly matches that of the first, it remains an important step along the road for the many that seek to reach round three, where a potential money-spinning tie against a Championship or Premier League team becomes a possibility.

Forty teams went into battle this weekend looking to do just that, and 19 of them now know a place in round three is secure – the 20th will be decided on Monday evening.

Here’s our round-up of all the action from this weekend’s FA Cup second round.

FA Cup Second Round

Team of the Round: Marine

Marine were featured in our round-up from the previous round of games after they knocked out League Two side Colchester United on penalties. While their opposition for today were actually two tiers below the U’s, there was still an expectation that National League South side Havant & Waterlooville would have too much for the Merseysiders.

However, the Northern Premier League Division One North West outfit managed to hold out for the full 90 minutes, taking the game to extra-time – helped by a red card for Havant’s Anthony Straker late on.

It looked as though the additional period was going to finish goalless too, with another penalty shoot-out looming for the eighth-tier side.

However, in the final minute of extra-time, the visitors failed to deal with a free-kick into the box. The ball was headed across goal for striker and captain Niall Cummins to put a diving header past the goalkeeper and spark wild scenes at Rossett Park.

 

Although the game was behind closed doors, neighbours of the ground could be seen watching from over their fences and were audibly joining in with the celebrations too.

It’s just the second time in their history that Marine have reached the third round. The last came in the 1992/93 season when they beat Halifax Town and Stafford Rangers before succumbing to Crewe Alexandra.

 

The Upsets

National League North strugglers Chorley also featured last time out thanks to their stunning win over near-neighbours Wigan Athletic. They were handed another near-impossible task this time around against Peterborough United, but once again, they battled back to get themselves through.

Posh took the lead early on through Jack Taylor’s stunning half-volley, and that was how it stayed until half-time. Connor Hall, who struck the winner against the Latics in round one, levelled the game, capitalising on some slack defending from the hosts, and three minutes later the non-league side were ahead when Lewis Baines rounded off a smart corner routine.

Harry Cardwell could have made it more comfortable for the visitors, but his penalty was kept out by Christy Pym – though it mattered little in the end as the Lancashire side reached the third round for the first time ever.

Exeter City made sure they got their name in the hat for round three after a 3-2 win away at League One Gillingham. Vadaine Oliver put the hosts in front only for the Grecians to score three times in 11 minutes thanks to Nicky Law and a Joel Randall brace. Dominic Samuel made it a nervy finish but Matt Taylor’s side managed to hold on.

George Lloyd’s extra-time winner secured a place in the next round for Cheltenham Town as they saw off League One opposition in Crewe Alexandra. Finn Azaz’s opener for the hosts had them in front only for Chris Porter’s leveller to send the game to extra-time, where Lloyd proved to be the match-winner.

It wasn’t quite the 6-5 classic that they produced in round one, but Crawley Town edged through after coming from behind away at AFC Wimbledon. Joe Piggott put the home side in front at the break, but Ashley Nadesan and Billy Watters completed the turnaround for the visitors.

Finally, League Two strugglers Stevenage knocked out 2014 finalists Hull City, winning 6-5 on penalties. Tom Eaves’ 52nd-minute penalty put the Tigers in front, but Elliott List grabbed a leveller late on and goalkeeper Jamie Cumming, on loan from Chelsea, proved to be the hero from the spot, denying Eaves and, crucially, Sean McLoughlin in the shoot-out.

 

FA Cup Third Round Draw

The draw for the third round of the FA Cup takes place on Monday evening prior to the live coverage of Canvey Island v Boreham Wood on BT Sport. The draw will also be available on the FA’s Facebook, Twitter and YouTube pages.

Second Round Results

Friday

Tranmere Rovers 1-0 Brackley Town

Saturday

Morecambe 4-2 Solihull Moore (AET)

Gillingham 2-3 Exeter City

Newport County 3-0 Salford City

Bradford City 1-2 Oldham Athletic

Cheltenham Town 2-1 Crewe Alexandra

Harrogate Town 0-4 Blackpool

Plymouth Argyle 2-0 Lincoln City

Portsmouth 6-1 King’s Lynn Town

Peterborough United 1-2 Chorley

Sunday

AFC Wimbledon 1-2 Crawley Town

Barnet 0-1 Milton Keynes Dons

Bristol Rovers 6-0 Darlington

Carlisle United 1-2 Doncaster Rovers

Mansfield Town 2-1 Dagenham & Redbridge

Shrewsbury Town 1-0 Oxford City

Stevenage 1-1 Hull City (AET, Stevenage win 6-5 on penalties)

Stockport County 3-2 Yeovil Town

Marine 1-0 Havant & Waterlooville (AET)

Monday

Canvey Island v Boreham Wood

 

Main Photo

Embed from Getty Images

Nat Goodlad, Editor

Nat Goodlad, Editor

Nat has been writing at LWOS since August 2015. He has served in all positions from writer up to managing editor across a seven-year spell. Currently, he is a writer and editor with a keen focus on EFL content.

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