So close: Stafford and Cray take EFL sides all the way – and beyond

Two two-goal leads. Two extra-time exits. Sunday’s FA Cup first round showed why this competition still matters, and also why it can be so cruel.

Firefighter lights the fuse

At Marston Road, eighth-tier Stafford Rangers, the lowest-ranked side left in the competition, led League Two Grimsby Town 2-0 at half-time. Darrhyl Mason, a firefighter by day, scored inside three minutes. Jack Birch fired in a rebound just before the break to double the lead.

Grimsby’s reply was simple and ruthless. Iwan Morgan took two free-kicks, and centre-backs Harvey Rodgers and Maldini Kacurri headed in one each, two minutes apart late on. Stafford’s lead was gone.

Cartwright the shoot-out hero

Boro didn’t fold. Mason swept home his second early in extra time to put them back in front, but Geza Turi equalised in stoppage time at the end of the first period. The shoot-out belonged to Harvey Cartwright. He saved from Birch, Harvey Washington and Luca Navarro as the Mariners edged it 3-2.

Graham Deakin’s side had played nine ties to get this far, starting in the extra preliminary round in August. Deakin said his players “have just gone toe-to-toe with a League Two side.” It’s hard to argue with that.

166 years in the making

In south London, Cray Wanderers were making history of their own with their first appearance in the first round in 166 years. On 21 minutes, Sammie McLeod gave them the lead.

From hospital bed to history-maker

McLeod’s goal meant more than most. In February 2019, he was a Colchester United prospect when he hit a lorry head-on driving to training. He woke up in an air ambulance with a broken collarbone and a shattered femur, and doctors feared he might never walk again. Amputation was even discussed.

McLeod had once trained alongside Jamie Vardy and Riyad Mahrez at Leicester. After the crash he rebuilt his career from scratch. He made his Colchester debut, then moved on to Portadown, Iceland and Worthing, and came back from a ruptured ACL along the way. Last Sunday, live on TV, he scored the goal that put Cray ahead in the biggest game of their history.

Hatters hit back

Stockport goalkeeper Luca Ashby-Hammond was then sent off for a challenge on John Ufuah. Alex Hernandez curled the free-kick into the top corner, leaving Cray two goals up against ten men from League One, a side 112 places above them.

Stockport’s quality told late on. Kyle Wootton headed in on 81 minutes, and Mikael Mandron nodded the equaliser a minute into stoppage time. In the 101st minute, JJ Briggs clattered into Mandron, and Lewis Fiorini scored the penalty to win it.

The replay question

Under the old rules, both clubs would be preparing for a replay and a payday. Instead, they ran out of legs in an extra half-hour against full-time professionals. Brave defeats make lovely headlines, but replays paid the bills.