Non-league clubs had a strong weekend in the first round proper. A seventh-tier side knocked out a Football League club, three National League clubs beat Football League opponents, and another seventh-tier club won with a stoppage-time penalty. Here is what happened, which clubs are through, and what the results mean for the second round.
The Headline Result: Wimborne 2-0 Crawley Town
Wimborne Town, from the seventh tier, beat League Two side Crawley Town 2-0 on Sunday 8 November. Yang Seung-woo scored a long-range strike after nine minutes, and Cameron Munn deflected in a Jackson King shot 11 minutes from time to seal the win. Wimborne play in the Southern League Premier Division South, three levels below Crawley.
The win earned them a home tie against Bradford City in the second round, and it is one of the competition’s biggest upsets this season.
Other Notable Results
| Date | Match | Score | What it means |
|---|---|---|---|
| Fri 6 Nov | Oxford City v Leicester City | 2-4 | National League North side led, then lost to the League One club |
| Sat 7 Nov | Dover Athletic v Wealdstone | 2-0 | National League South side beat a team from the division above |
| Sat 7 Nov | Guiseley v Sutton United | 1-0 | Seventh-tier Guiseley won through a stoppage-time penalty from Jordan Thewlis |
| Sat 7 Nov | Kidderminster Harriers v Doncaster Rovers | 3-0 | National League side beat League One opposition |
| Sat 7 Nov | Carlisle United v Salford City | 1-0 | A deflected goal just before half-time settled it |
| Sat 7 Nov | Gillingham v Barrow | 0-1 | Innes Cameron scored in stoppage time |
| Sat 7 Nov | Huddersfield Town v Exeter City | 1-2 | League Two beat League One |
| Sun 8 Nov | Oldham Athletic v Sheffield Wednesday | 2-1 after extra time | League Two beat League One |
Dover’s Jack Bates scored both goals in the 2-0 win over Wealdstone, in the 14th minute and just before half-time.
Oxford City Give Leicester a Scare
Oxford City, from the sixth tier, took the lead against Leicester City through Louis Page. Scott Pollock equalised against his former club before half-time, and Emil Riis and Kamari Doyle put Leicester 3-1 ahead in the second half. Josh Ashby pulled one back for Oxford City, but Leicester held on.
Leicester manager Russell Martin said he was annoyed to concede two goals but relieved to progress, while Pollock said his team “weren’t disgraced”.
Heartbreak for Some
Not every non-league club made it through:
- Sutton United lost 1-0 at Guiseley.
- Wealdstone lost 2-0 at Dover.
- Cray Wanderers lost 3-2 after extra time to Stockport County.
- Hornchurch lost 2-1 after extra time to Blackpool.
- Stafford Rangers drew 3-3 with Grimsby Town and lost the penalty shootout.
The second-round draw also shows that AFC Rushden & Diamonds, Marine and Boreham Wood are out, because Burton Albion, Bradford City and Wigan Athletic were drawn in the next round. We did not find the scores for those three ties. We also did not find the scores for Salisbury v Sholing or Plymouth Parkway v Berkhamsted, but Salisbury and Plymouth Parkway are both in the second round.
Who Is Through
Among the clubs that are still in the competition from the lower leagues are Dover Athletic, Wimborne Town, Guiseley, Salisbury and Plymouth Parkway, along with Barrow, Kidderminster Harriers and Carlisle United, whom ESPN lists as National League clubs. Our separate guide to the second round covers the full draw and the television schedule.