Six rounds of the FA Cup have already been played this season, starting way back in August with the Extra Preliminary Round. The weekend of the First Round, though, is always special as teams from England’s professional ranks join the non-league sides who have done enough to reach the competition proper.<\/p>\n
The cup is different this year with no crowds and no replays, but that hasn’t stopped teams from putting on a show for their fans watching from afar. Only one game finished goalless in the entire round comprised of 40 ties and there were some huge upsets on the cards.<\/p>\n
Wigan Athletic may be sat bottom of League One with just two wins to their name, but when they were drawn at home to near-neighbours Chorley, they must have expected to already have one foot in the next round.<\/p>\n
The Latics won this competition as recently as 2013 but have fallen on hard times since then, suffering relegation from the Championship last season in controversial fashion when their points deduction was applied after the final whistle on the last day of the season.<\/p>\n
Chorley, meanwhile, sit in England’s sixth tier and play in the National Leauge North having been relegated from the National League last season. They are struggling again, and currently sit bottom of the division once more with just one point to their name from five games.<\/p>\n
An easy win for Wigan, then? It appeared so, as Joe Garner and Tom James scored in the first half to give the hosts a comfortable lead. However, they did go into the break a man down when Adam Long was shown a straight red card for bringing down Harry Cardwell.<\/p>\n
The visitors took advantage of the difference in numbers after the break. With just three minutes played they pulled one back through Elliott Newby and they levelled on the hour when Cardwell was sent through and he provided a cool finish.<\/p>\n
Already it was more than Chorley could have imagined having taken the 2013 winners to extra time on their own patch. But things got much better for them in the additional period when Connor Hall struck the winner to pile on more misery for Wigan and send them crashing out in just the first round.<\/p>\n
The win sees Chorley reach the second-round stage for just the third time in their history, the last time being in 1990.<\/p>\n
Canvey Island of the Isthmian League North Division pulled off a 2-1 win away at Oxfordshire side Banbury United, who play one tier higher than their Essex opponents. An Essex side that missed out on the second round, though was Colchester United after they were held to a 1-1 draw by Northern Premier League Division One North West side Marine before going on to lose on penalties.<\/p>\n
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\nPhoto of the round? Taken by Ray Lawrence\/TGS\/Shutterstock. #COYM<\/a> pic.twitter.com\/y8mhpoZ61U<\/a><\/p>\n
\u2014 Marine Football Club (@MarineAFC) November 8, 2020<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n