The magic of the FA Cup was well and truly alive and kicking last weekend, as eight non-league clubs booked their place in the second round of the competition.
Some of the clubs are now just a game away from playing against one of the elite clubs from the English game.
The non-league clubs that progressed to the second round
It all kicked off on Friday night as National League outfit Tamworth recorded a memorable 1-0 win over League One Huddersfield Town at the Lamb Ground. The biggest weapon in their armoury was the long throws of Tom Tonks.
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It was from one of Tonks’ long throws that Tamworth finally scored the decisive goal, as Town goalkeeper Chris Maxwell could only palm into his own net from one of the throws.
The visitors threatened on several occasions, but Tamworth held on to claim a memorable victory. They will play another League One outfit, Burton Albion, in the Second Round.
The lowest-ranked team in the competition, Harborough Town, booked their place in the next round of the competition after an incredible encounter with seventh-tier team Tonbridge Angels.
The game produced a highly entertaining 4-4 draw in normal and extra-time. However, Town sealed their progress to the next round of the competition by winning the penalty shootout. They will now face a trip to League One, Reading, in the second round.
Elsewhere, National League strugglers Wealdstone took a break from their relatively poor campaign in the fifth tier by recording a 1-0 win at League Two, Grimsby Town, courtesy of a last-gasp strike from Alex Reid.
Fifth-tier Dagenham and Redbridge recorded a 1-0 win at League Two, Crewe Alexandra, with a 73rd-minute Dion Pereira penalty kick enough to seal their passage to the second round. The Daggers face a trip to AFC Wimbledon in the next round.
Former Tranmere Rovers boss Mickey Mellon guided his Oldham Athletic team to a 2-1 win at his former club. Connor Jennings gave Rovers the lead at Prenton Park.
However, James Norwood hit the equaliser against his former club before Nigerian midfielder Jesurun Uchegbulam struck the winning goal just after the hour mark.
So near, yet so far for some teams
With replays now a thing of the past in the FA Cup (we will get to that later), nine second-round ties went into extra-time, while some other non-league outfits came close to upsetting teams higher up the football pyramid.
Northern Premier League team Guiseley held League One Stevenage to a 1-1 draw after extra-time. However, the EFL team progressed courtesy of winning the shootout 5-4.
Another League One team who were held to a draw by non-league opposition were Bristol Rovers. Weston-Super-Mare produced a spirited display to draw 1-1 with Rovers at the Memorial Ground. However, extra-time goals from Connor Taylor and Grant Ward were enough to see the Pirates through to round two.
Crawley Town of League One also needed a late extra-time winner from Tola Showunmi to see off Maidenhead 2-1.
Southend United drew 3-3 at home to Charlton Athletic after 90 minutes. With very little of extra-time to go, Moroccan forward Gassan Ahadme struck the winning goal for the Addicks.
National League Barnet took the lead twice at League One Exeter City. However, a hat-trick from Northern Irish striker Josh Magennis helped City record a 5-3 victory and a place in the next round.
League Two, Bradford City, were 1-0 down at half-time against National One Aldershot Town. However, the Bantams scored three goals in the second period of the game to cruise past their fifth-tier opponents.
Accrington Stanley made hard work off beating ten-man National League South Rushall Olympic. However, Stanley eventually recorded a 2-0 win courtesy of goals from Josh Woods and Tyler Walton in the last 20 minutes of the game.
League One Burton Albion scraped past Scarborough 1-0, while Bromley needed two stoppage-time efforts to see off fifth-tier Rochdale. Meanwhile, Cambridge United recorded a narrow 1-0 win at Woking.
The abolition of replays has taken some of the magic away from the FA Cup
As previously mentioned, FA Cup replays have been abolished, mainly due to complaints from the elite clubs in the Premier League. The top players may well have a point about the number of games they play each season.
However, the abolition of FA Cup replays takes away some of the magic of the competition. Over the years, some FA Cup replays have produced some of the best games in the competition’s history.
The replays have also been a tremendous financial boost to lower-league clubs who have enjoyed cup runs of any sort. Then, there is the chance for lower-league players to face players they wouldn’t usually in normal circumstances.
Meanwhile, fans of smaller clubs may well get to visit stadiums they wouldn’t usually if their team manages to get a replay.
Some clubs’ players and fans may still get the excitement of visiting clubs higher up the football pyramid. However, there is a feeling that taking away replays has taken something away from the competition as a whole.
It is only a sign of the times when the competition’s importance is slowly being diluted at the behest of a few rather than the many.
The FA Cup can still be important to the smaller clubs, but it is getting harder and harder for the underdogs to cause a shock and make it into the latter stages of the competition, which is truly a sad state of affairs.