Gillingham boss Steve Evans compared his teenage forward Gerald Sithole to a Premier League striker after drawing 1-1 with Cheltenham in the FA Cup first round.Mattie Pollock gave the Robins the lead after 34 minutes when his header was controversially adjudged to have crossed the line, despite Robbie McKenzie’s attempted acrobatic clearance.Sithole then exquisitely equalised for the Gills...Full Story »

Max Sanders spared Lincoln’s blushes as his second-half strike saw off battling part-timers Bowers and Pitsea 1-0 in the FA Cup first round.Sanders struck in the 66th minute to secure a place in round two for the League One side, who were given more than a scare by the Essex-based Isthmian League Premier Division side.The minnows had the better of the first half as they made their maiden a...Full Story »

Pete Wild was stunned after FC Halifax scored seven goals to claim a remarkable victory against National League rivals Maidenhead in an 11-goal thriller in the FA Cup first round.There were 10 goals in a frantic opening hour, and the hosts led 4-3 at half-time before asserting their dominance after the break.Top scorer Billy Waters scored a brace and Tyrell Warren, Matty Warburton, Kian Spence, ...Full Story »

Keith Millen hailed Carlisle’s professionalism after beating non-league Horsham 2-0 in the first round of the FA Cup.Brad Young scored the first and set up Zach Clough’s late second to end the minnows’ remarkable run.The seventh-tier side kept the League Two strugglers at bay for almost 70 minutes.But Millen, who presided over his first win since taking over the club, said: &ld...Full Story »

Darrell Clarke was full of praise for his hat-trick hero James Wilson as Port Vale progressed in the FA Cup with a 5-1 win against Accrington.Wilson hit the only goal of the first half and netted two more for his first senior hat-trick after Stanley’s Colby Bishop was dismissed.Though Ethan Hamilton hit one for Stanley, Lewis Cass and George Lloyd scored late goals for Vale to send their S...Full Story »

Relieved Burton boss Jimmy Floyd Hasselbaink saluted his team’s “moment of magic” which ultimately handed his side a 2-1 FA Cup win at League One rivals Fleetwood.Daniel Jebbison notched a 77th-minute winner in awful conditions on the Fylde coast.Fleetwood struck early when Joe Garner poked home from close range, though their lead lasted just two minutes as Joe Powell fired hom...Full Story »

Chesterfield boss James Rowe hailed his side as ‘outstanding’ following their 3-1 win against Southend United in the first round of the FA Cup.The Spireites fought back from a goal down to triumph at the Technique Stadium and Rowe was full of praise for his injury-hit side, who were without 10 players.He said: “I thought it was an outstanding performance from us in terms of whe...Full Story »

New boss Steve Cunningham paid tribute to Buxton’s former management duo after Diego De Girolamo’s late goal earned the Northern Premier League outfit a famous 1-0 FA Cup first round win at York.The ex-Curzon Ashton chief and assistant Damian Crossley only replaced sacked duo Gary Hayward and Mark Ward on Tuesday.But their inherited squad produced a superb display in its first appear...Full Story »

Dennis Kutrieb felt his Ebbsfleet side’s performance deserved more in their 1-0 FA Cup first-round defeat at League Two Leyton Orient.O’s striker Aaron Drinan scored the only goal of the game in the 24th minute to end sixth-tier Ebbsfleet’s hopes of a cup upset.United boss Kutrieb said: “We were very unlucky and I thought that we were on top of our opponents for at least ...Full Story »

Wycombe boss Gareth Ainsworth hailed his side’s ‘immense character’ after they twice came from behind to draw 2-2 at Hartlepool.The Chairboys are a division above League Two Pools but were made to scrap all the way to secure an FA Cup replay.Ainsworth said: “The character from the boys is just immense. We were 2-1 down, 1-0 down and we have a great spirit here.“It&r...Full Story »

Morton registered their first cinch Championship victory in 11 games as basement boys Dunfermline remained winless following a 3-1 home defeat.The visitors went ahead in the 13th minute, Gary Oliver finding the bottom corner from Jimmy Knowles’ knockdown for his first goal in six games.Dunfermline equalised 10 minutes before half-time when Matthew Todd headed in Kevin O’Hara’s ...Full Story »

FC Halifax reached the second round of the FA Cup with an incredible 7-4 victory over fellow National League side Maidenhead at The Shay.The Shaymen opened the floodgates when Tyrell Warren headed home Matty Warbuton’s corner inside 10 minutes.Maidenhead responded immediately when goalkeeper Sam Johnson spilled a shot and striker Josh Kelly fired in the rebound.In a frantic opening, playma...Full Story »

Jacob Brown scored the only goal of the game as Stoke continued their stranglehold over Luton with a 1-0 victory at Kenilworth Road.The Potters went into the clash having not lost to the Hatters since February 2000 and they kept the run going thanks to Brown’s 34th-minute strike.And victory saw Michael O’Neill’s side jump up a place to fifth in the Sky Bet Championship table.Lu...Full Story »

Sam Nombe scored a late equaliser to earn Exeter a first round FA Cup replay after a 1-1 draw at Valley Parade in a match where Bradford had the bulk of the chances.Exeter’s extended their unbeaten run in all competitions to 16 but Bradford enjoyed most of the play before striker Theo Robinson deservedly put them in front in the 28th minute.Robinson, who had earlier seen a close-range shot...Full Story »

George Honeyman and Keane Lewis-Potter scored to secure a valuable 2-0 win for Hull over relegation rivals Barnsley at Oakwell.The Tigers, who had lost their last five Sky Bet Championship games, were on the front foot for large parts of the game and got a deserved victory over the managerless Tykes.Barnsley caretaker boss Joseph Laumann made three changes to the team that claimed a big win agai...Full Story »

Zak Rudden’s early goal was enough for Partick Thistle to win 1-0 at cinch Championship leaders Kilmarnock.Thistle made an almost immediate breakthrough as Rudden timed his run in behind the defence and coolly lobbed keeper Zach Hemming in the third minute.Hemming twice denied Stuart Bannigan while Daniel Armstrong had Killie’s best efforts of the first half as they trailed at the br...Full Story »

Morecambe made it into the second round of the FA Cup with a battling 1-0 victory over Newport at the Mazuma Stadium.Aaron Wildig scored the only goal of the game in the 67th minute just seconds after coming off the bench when he sneaked in at the far post to convert Jonah Ayunga’s right-wing cross.It was a cruel defeat in many ways for Newport who had the better of the chances but came up...Full Story »

Matty Godden’s brace earned 10-man Coventry a last-gasp 3-2 win at home to Bristol City.The forward scored an added-time winner as the Sky Blues twice came from behind, having seen Ian Maatsen sent off in the first half.Godden’s double was accompanied by Callum O’Hare’s first goal of the season, the former Aston Villa midfielder levelling things up at 2-2 after Chris Mart...Full Story »

Neil Warnock left Middlesbrough by mutual consent moments after his side earned a 1-1 draw with West Brom at The Hawthorns.Warnock earlier this week clocked up a record-breaking 1,602 games as a manager but has now departed the Championship club.A Boro statement read: “Middlesbrough FC have parted company with manager Neil Warnock by mutual consent.“The decision was reached after tal...Full Story »

Kieffer Moore’s late double saw Cardiff fight back to earn a desperately-needed 2-1 win at home to Huddersfield.The Wales international headed home 16 minutes from time to cancel out Danel Sinani’s first-half opener for the visitors and then crashed in a stoppage-time winner to end the Bluebirds’ 10-game winless streak.Moore’s goals kept struggling Cardiff out of the bott...Full Story »