19th November 2000  

Hednesford reports

Oldham Athletic: Kelly , Garnett , Innes (Holt 72) , McNiven , Duxbury (Salt 90) , Rickers , Allott , Carss , Eyres , Corazzin , Dudley (Tipton 80)
Subs not used:  Miskelly , Jones
Bookings: Oldham eased into the second round of the FA Cup as they beat Conference side Hednesford Town 4-2 this afternoon. The Latics took an early lead in this six-goal thriller of a game through skipper Lee Duxbury, who put them on their way after only four minutes. Hednesford Town, though, have a rich giant-killing history and were particularly unlikely to give up without a fight. Neil Pointon, playing against his former club, grabbed an equaliser for Hednesford on 19 minutes with a clinical strike, giving the Conference side a glimmer of hope. Goals either side of the half time break by Craig Dudley and Carlo Corazzin gave Andy Ritchie's side breathing space, but Town fought back again. Neil Davis grabbed the goal as they rallied, but Oldham substitute Matthew Tipton put the result beyond doubt and beyond Hednesford's grasp with his last minute strike.

The Latics got off to just the kind of start they needed in this potential banana skin of a game by taking a fourth minute lead. Stuart Lake was shown a yellow card for a clumsy challenge on David Eyres who made Lake pay doubly dearly by floating in a free-kick for Lee Duxbury to loop a header into the top corner. Stunned Hednesford could have fallen further behind when Eyres shaved the far post in the13th minute and Craig Dudley had Pointon hooking another effort clear shortly afterwards. It was only when Airdrie began to make an impact that Hednesford turned the tide. After a couple of surges down the right he finally got in a telling blow with a 19th minute centre that Oldham could only scrape out to the edge of the box where Pointon whacked a left-footer in off a post. With both sides having drawn blood and giving each other a bit more respect chances became much scarcer. But four minutes before the break Oldham struck a crucial blow. Livewire Dudley cut in from the right, took a return ball from Carlo Corazzin and was then fortunate to see his shot deflected off Lake to leave his keeper Mark Gayle floundering while the ball ambled into the net.

A minute after the restart Oldham thought they had the tie well and truly settled when they stretched their lead.Flat-footed Hednesford were caught by Dudley's right-wing cross which Corazzin headed home unmarked from barely six-yards. To their credit Hednesford refused to wave the white flag and gave Airdrie the ammunition to try and salvage their skins. In the 58th minute Airdrie once again left the hapless Mark Innes trailing in his wake before whipping in a wicked low cross that Neil Davis smashed into the roof of the net. By this time both teams were slugging it out in each others penalty area with Eyres and Corazzin both wasting great chances. But so too did Hednesford especially a 79th minute header from Mike Norbury which flashed inches wide. Four minutes from time another Airdrie cross saw Lee Colkin dive to head just over. But then came Tipton's killer blow and the Latics could relax.

Yeovil led the way as a trio of non league clubs pulled off upsets and four others earned replays.

Conference leaders Yeovil thrashed Second Division Colchester 5-1 with top scorer Warren Patmore opening the scoring.

Barrington Belgrave and Terry Skiverton put the Glovers 3-0 up before Colchester pulled one back through Karl Duguid.

But a Darren Way penalty and Patmore's 14th of the season gave Yeovil a 17th league club scalp.

Kingstonian, 21st in the Conference, reached the second round for the second time with a 3-1 win at second division Brentford.

Geoff Pitcher shocked the Bees just before the interval and Sammy Winston struck twice in 15 minutes. Lorenzo Pinamonte's last-gasp goal was no consolation for Brentford.

Unibond Premier Division Gateshead knocked out third division Halifax with a 2-0 win at The Shay. Tony Hall and Paul Dalton scored for the Tynesiders who reached the quarter finals in 1953 when they were a league team.

Northwich Victoria pulled off a 1-1 draw at second division Bury who led through a goal from Nicholas Daws.

Gary Fletcher was the Vic's hero with his 72nd-minute equaliser which earned a replay and a possible home tie with Leyton Orient.

Kettering, bottom of the Conference, managed to hold third division Hull to a 0-0 draw at Rockingham Road to earn a replay.

And Nigel Clough's Burton Albion, of the Doc Martens Premier, did even better to get a 0-0 result at Kidderminster and the prospect of a home game with Carlisle if they can win the replay.

Nuneaton Borough, 15th in the Conference, had a tremendous result drawing 0-0 with Stoke, ninth in the second division, at The Britannia Stadium to take the Potters back to the Manor Ground.

Dagenham & Redbridge are in the second round for the second time, beating Conference colleagues Hayes 3-1 to earn a trip to Lincoln.

Mark Keith opened for the Daggers and Lee Boylan levelled before an Alan Watts own goal gave the seventh-placed side the lead and Matt Jones' strike ensured they kept it.

Morecambe also overcame Conference opposition beating Forest Green 3-0 at The Lawn to earn a home game with Cambridge United.

Wayne Haswell put the Shrimps on the way with an own goal just before half time and John Norman and Gary Thompson ensured an emphatic victory.

Tiny Hampton and Richmond Borough, who had never reached this stage before, came close to springing another shock when they were within six minutes of beating Barnet.

Craig Maskell, once of Southampton, put the Beavers in front in the 21st minute and the Rymans Premier division side clung on until Tony Richards equalised.

A nasty bust-up followed with Richards and Hampton's Evan Talbot sent off for violent conduct and Darren Currie grabbed the winner to make it 2-1 in the dying seconds.

Havant & Waterlooville were another minnow who nearly claimed a big fish when they took the lead against Southport, fourth in the Conference.

Paul Wood scored for the Doc Martens Premier side after four minutes but Mark Stuart pulled one back just before the break and Ian Arnold made it 2-1 for the Sandgrounders in the 74th minute to earn a home tie with Kingstonian in round two.

Dorchester were another Doc Martens side to cause a stir taking the lead against second division leaders Wigan at the JJB Stadium through Matty Holmes after only six minutes.

The response was immediate, Neil Roberts levelling, and Wigan pulled away with goals from Stefan Bidstrup and an own goal from Jason McIvor making it 3-1.

Chester, of the Conference, held Plymouth, of the third division, at the Deva Stadium, after leading through Darren Wright.

Argyle's Chris Leadbitter was sent off for violent conduct in the 37th minute and City's Paul Beesley was shown the red card for a second bookable offence in the 83rd. But up popped Jason Peake to make it 1-1 four minutes later.

In the top clash of the day, Danny Wilson's Bristol City, eighth in the second division, made it 13 games without defeat when they handed third division leaders Chesterfield their first defeat in 10 with a 1-0 win at Saltergate courtesy of Tony Thorpe's 55th-minute effort.

Bournemouth won an all second division clash with Swansea 2-0, the goals coming from Wade Elliott and James Hayter.

Cambridge, 13th in the second division, beat third division Rochdale 2-1, Jonas Axendaland and John Hansen scoring either side of Clive Platt's effort for 'Dale.

Cheltenham thrashed Shrewsbury in an all third division meeting at Whaddon Road. Lee Howells, Neil Grayson (two), and Julian Alsop claimed Cheltenham's goals with Chris Freestone on the mark for the Shrews.

Oxford, beaten in eight of nine games on their travels and bottom of the second division, went to Macclesfield, 13th in the third, and pulled off a 1-0 win through Phil Gray's 58th-minute goal.

Second division Peterborough were happy with a 1-1 draw at Mansfield, Chris Greenacre's 70th-minute penalty for the Stags cancelling out David Farrell's opener for Posh.

Scunthorpe beat Hartlepool 3-1 at Glanford Park to leave Pool without a win in eight visits despite taking the lead through Craig Midgley.

Guy Ipoua hit back with a hat-trick to give the Iron a home tie with Brighton in round two.

Torquay, without a win away from home, will not relish the replay at Southend.

They trailed to Russell Williamson's 31st-minute goal for the Shrimpers until Mark Ford made it 1-1 from the penalty spot after 59 minutes.

Second division Walsall thrashed Exeter, of the third, 4-0 with goals from Pedro Matias, Paul Hall, Jorge Leitao and Tony Barras.

Rotherham went to Wales and beat Wrexham 1-0, Alan Lee the scorer, to earn a home tie with Northampton.

There was no joy for the other minnows who found the FA Cup waters infested with sharks.

Aldershot Town, in the draw for the first time, were gobbled up by Brighton, second in the Third Division, 6-2 with Richard Carpenter giving the Seagulls the lead in the second minute with the fastest goal of the round. Gary Abbott gave the Shots some hope with a penalty but Paul Watson hit two from the spot and Charlie Oatway, Bobby Zamora and Matthew Wicks made it one-way traffic until Abbott, the 36-year-old striker with 84 goals in the previous two seasons netted his 19th of this.

Leyton Orient, fourth in the Third Division, polished off Barrow of the Unibond Premier 2-0, Carl Griffiths and Steve Watts the scorers.

Blackpool accounted for one-time giant-killers Telford 3-1 at Bloomfield Road, Brett Ormerod (2) and John Murphy scoring. Gary Martindale was on target for Telford.

Woking, who had a run to the fourth round in 1991, were hammered 5-1 at Carlisle, bottom of the Third Division. Ian Stevens netted four and Scott Dobie got the other before Steve West scored for the Cards of the Conference.

Darlington thrashed AFC Sudbury of the Eastern Counties Premiership 6-1 at Feethams after going one down to the non leaguers when Andrew Claydon scored. Glenn Naylor hit a hat trick, Richard Hodgson added a brace and Kevin Kyle scored the other.

Hednesford, 19th in the Conference, battled bravely against Oldham but went down 4-2 on their own patch. Carlo Corazzin (2), Lee Duxbury and Matthew Tipton scored for the Latics, Neil Davis and Boundary Park old boy Neil Pointon for the Pitmen.

Bracknell Town, the lowest rated team in the round, went down 4-0 to Lincoln at Sincil Bank. Peter Gain, Richard Peacock, Gavin Gordon and an own goal from Brian Bere finished the Robins, currently top of the Rymans League Division Three.

Northampton thumped Frickley 4-0, Jamie Forrester (2), John Frain and James Hunt ensuring the Blues, in the first round for the ninth time, progressed no further.

Reading, fifth in the Second Division, had no trouble with Grays Athletic of the Rymans Premier - Lee Hodges, Jamie Cureton and Martin Butler scoring in the 3-0 win.

Struggling Swindon were given a lift with a 4-1 win over Doc Martens Premier side Ilkeston Town, who reached the second round two years ago. Adam Willis, Martin Williams and Billy Howe scored before the non leaguers had Mark Clifford sent off after 45 minutes for a second yellow card. Paul Cox pulled one back for them three minutes from the whistle but there was still time for Alan Young to add another.

Wycombe, sixth in the Second Division, disposed of Harrow Borough, 13th in the Rymans Premier 3-0. Jamie Bates scored twice and Michael Simpson got the other from the penalty spot.

FA CUP SECOND ROUND DRAW

The draw for the Second Round of the FA Cup Sponsored by AXA is as follows:

Swindon Town v Gateshead

Walsall v Barnet

Bournemouth v Stoke or Nuneaton Borough

Scunthorpe v Brighton

Kidderminster or Burton Albion v Carlisle

Cardiff v Cheltenham

Radcliffe Borough or York v Reading

Chester or Plymouth v Oxford Utd

Canvey Island or Port Vale v Torquay or Southend

Blackpool v Yeovil Town

Wigan v Gravesend & Northfleet or Notts County

Darlington v Luton Town

Millwall v Wycombe

Rotherham v Northampton

Bristol City v Kettering or Hull

Bury or Northwich Victoria v Leyton Orient

Southport v Kingstonian

Mansfield or Peterborough v Oldham

Lincoln v Dagenham & Redbridge

Morecambe v Cambridge Utd

Draw for LDV Cup First round

Northern Section

Doncaster v Rochdale
Chester v Hull City
Kidderminster v Carlisle
Oldham v Wigan
Hartlepool v Scunthorpe
Rotherham v Chesterfield
Port Vale v Notts County
Stoke v Scarborough
Lincoln v Morecambe
York City v Darlington
Bury v Mansfield
Wrexham v Halifax
Byes: Blackpool, Macclesfield, Shrewsbury and Walsall.

Southern Section

Cambridge v Colchester
Brentford v Oxford
Barnet v Rushden & Diamonds
Hereford v Yeovil
Brighton v Cardiff
Southend v Cheltenham
Bournemouth v Dover
Torquay v Bristol Rovers
Peterborough v Luton
Plymouth v Bristol City
Wycombe v Exeter
Milwall v Northampton
Byes: Leyton Orient, Reading, Swansea and Swindon.

Express Sport Live

Oldham Athletic made the perfect start to their FA Cup campaign by beating Hednesford Town 4-2 away from home. The first goal came almost before the crowd had had time to find their seats when a free-kick by David Eyres was floated into the area and Lee Duxbury found himself unmarked in the box. He made no mistake and headed home from close range. But Hednesford showed their determination when they levelled after 19 minutes. Stuart Airdrie's cross from the right skimmed off Scott Bonsall's head only to fall into the path of former Oldham player Neil Pointon, whose low left-foot drive hit the far post and ricocheted into the corner of the net. Hednesford started to dominate and on the half-hour mark, Bonsall skipped round Paul Rickers and his shot at the near post was saved by Gary Kelly. With four minutes of the first half left, Oldham regained the lead when Craig Dudley played a one-two with Carlo Corazzin and Dudley's shot came off unfortunate Stuart Lake, leaving Hednesford goalkeeper Mark Gayle flat-footed as the ball trickled into the net. As in the first half, Oldham made the perfect start to the second by increasing their lead within seconds of the restart. Dudley got behind Pointon and his cross from the byline was met perfectly by Carlo Corazzin, who headed home powerfully. Hednesford pulled a goal back after 58 minutes when Mickey Norbury, who had only been on the pitch for three minutes, played in Airdrie and he beat Mark Innes for pace before sending a cross to the back post which was met by Neil Davis, whose right-foot shot flew into the top corner of the net. Hednesford tried desperately to level and after 79 minutes an Ian Robinson cross to the back post was met by Norbury, who headed narrowly wide. With five minutes left, an Airdrie cross was met by Colkin and his header bounced off the pitch and over the crossbar. But it was all to no avail as Oldham sealed their victory and place in the second round with a goal from stoppage-time substitute Matthew Tipton, who collected the ball and thundered a shot into the bottom corner of the net.