Chorley 2-0 Derby County: FA Cup third round – as it happened – The Guardian

Aaron Bower was at Victory Park to see Chorley advance to the fourth round for the first time in their history. Read on …

“It’s a very proud moment for us,” says the Chorley manager, in an interview with BT Sport’s Matt Smith. “Credit to them, I think they deserve a lot of credit for that performance, considering they were 17 and 18-year-old lads who really stood up to a test in the first 20 minutes. We got a goal at a really good time and then in the second half we got another that relieved a little bit of pressure.

“Credit to our boys, they’ve been on a journey and we said this morning that journey can continue today … and it has done. It’s a momumental day for the football club and I feel proud to be a part of it.”

He goes on to talk about the financial importance of ensuring the game went ahead today and pays tribute to the groundsmen, who did so much to ensure the pitch was playable today.”

“It’s an unbelievable feeling, isn’t it?” says the scorer of Chorley’s first goal in an interview with BT Sport. “That’s fantastic for the club and it will keep us going for a long time financially. The boys have done so well – that’s two League One teams and a Championship side, albeit a group of young lads today. But it was a top effort from us today and I’m so happy.

On Derby County: “We had to show them respect because at the end of the day they’re full-time pros. We knew they weren’t going to be a pushover. We started off well, got the early goal and decvided we just needed to keep pushing on because 1-0 is always a dangerous scoreline. Getting the second was just a great feeling.

On the knee injury that forced him off: “I don’t know how it is yet because I’ve srtill got a lot of adrenaline running through me but we’ll see how it is tomorrow.”

Peep! Peep! Peeeeeeep! From the National League North, the sixth tier of English football, Chorley advance to the fourth round of this season’s FA Cup. They do so at the expense of Championship side Derby County in what, in the record books in years to come, will look like a seismic shock. But obliged, as they were, to field a team of kids, it would have been a major surprise if Chorley had not prevailed.Hats off to them and well done to the youngsters of Derby for their valiant effort.

90+1 min: Chorley’s Harry Cardwell is awarded the man of the match gong by the BT Sport co-commentator Adam Virgo.

90 min: Chorley try to play down the clock, shielding the ball down by one of the corner flags in the Derby half.

87 min: The jig looks very much up for Derby County Youth, but they’re plugging on regardless. Chorley, meanwhile, barring an unlikely late collapse, will go into the fourth round draw of the FA Cup for the first time in their history. The TV revenue and prize money they receive for this landmark achievement will be the equivalent of a lottery win for the Lancashire club.

Chorley double their lead. Elliot Newby floats the ball towqards the farr post from the edge of the 18-yard box. THere are Chorley players ququeing up for it, but Calveley steers the ball home on the volley with his right foot. Looks like there’s little chance of extra time after all.

82 min: Just the one goal in it as we go into the final 10 minutes. Should Derby chisel out an equaliser and the score remain level at the end of normal time, the game would go into extra time and then penalties if required. There are no replays in the FA Cup this season.

80 min: Chorley goalscorer Connor Hall limps off with what looks like a knee injury and is replaced by Lewis Reilly.

78 min: Chorley substitution: Smith on, Shenton off.

77 min: Cardwell heads over on the stretch for Chorley at the far post, after getting on the end of a cross from Newby. It was a mite too high for him and he couldn’t get much purchase on his header.

76 min: Ebosele has a cross cut out by Tomlinson and Derby have a corner. The ball’s floated into the area, headed across the face of goal and ends up in the arms of Chorley goalkeeper Matt Urwin.

75 min: Derby County take off defender Max Bardell and replace him with target man Bartosz Cybulski, who looks about seven foot tall. He has the physique of a young Peter Crouch.

72 min: Free-kick for Chorley, who have just brought on Adamn Henley for – I think – Andy Halls. It’s a long way out and the ball’s floated out for a goal kick.

69 min: Chorley corner. A wonderful delivery is sent towards the far post, where Harry Cardwell I didn’t get almost scores with a header despite being face down on the ground. The ball is hacked clear by Isaac Hutchinson before it trundles over the line.

65 min: Derby substitution: Festy Ebosele comes on for Osazee Aghatise. I’m delighted with that, because young Festy is one of only two players in either squads that I know anything about!

A native of Wexford in the Republic of Ireland, he joined Derby County from Bray Wanderers. Bray, of course, being in County Wicklow and the local team of top comedian and amateur astronomer Dara O Briain.

63 min: Having apparently weathered Derby’s early second half storm, Chorley are back in the ascendency. Getting on the end of a good cross from the right, Mike Calveley heads a good scoring opportunity downwards and left of the upright. He’ll be disappointed with that, Clive.

63 min: With a pull-back from the byline, Newby tees up Cardwell for Chorley, but his shot on the turn is blocked.

60 min: A lot of the play being condensed in the middle third of the pitch, punctuated by regular throw-ins. Derby win a free-kick wide on the right, which Chorley clear, but only as far as Dylan Williams for the visitors.

58 min: An impromptu game of head tennis over by the technical areas ends with the ball going out of play and assorted players from both teams claiming the throw-in. It goes the way of Derby.

57 min: For Chorley, Elliot Newby creates room for a shot on the edge of the Derby penalty area, but fires straight at Matt Yates.

55 min: Derby County look like a different side in this second half, playing with a vim, vigour and confidence that was not evident in the first 45 minutes. They haven’t created anything in the way of a chance, but are giving Chorley far more to think about.

52 min: Curiously, the unconfirmed word on the street is that Chorley don’t have a goalkeeper on their bench, for reasons that aren’t quite clear.

I’m guessing they don’t have one availalable – it would be quite the gamble to not have a reserve goalkeeper in the squad, particularly in a game where each team is allowed five substitutes.

50 min: Derby win a free-kick wide on the left, a long way out. The ball’s played into the mixer, half-cleared and eventually ends up in the hands of Chorley goalkeeper Matt Urwin.

49 min: Better from Derby, who seem to have upped their game considerably after a fairly feeble first half effort.

48 min: Derby played themselves into trouble there, trying to play the ball out from the back. Harrison Solomon lost the ball, which was played to Hall, who was unamrked in acres of space.

47 min: Connor Hall strikes a venomous shot towards the bottom left-hand corner form about 20 yards out, but Derby County goalkeeper Matt Yates gets down to save with a strong right hand.

46 min: Play resumes with Derby going on the attack in the opening seconds of the second half. Chorley win a throw-in deep inside their own half and use the opportunity to clear their lines.

Looking at that reversed penalty decision again: Matt Urwin came off his line to contest a through ball with the oncoming Cameron Cresswell, might have won the ball and brought the Derby man down at the same time.

Having seen it in slow motion another two times, I’m still not convinced the goalkeeper got the ball, but in the BT Sport studio, Robbie Savage is certain he did.

What I can tell you for certain is that Kevin Friend, the only man whose opinion matters, originally awarded a spot-kick before overturning his decision on the advice of his linesman. A reminder: there is no VAR in this game, technology is only being used in games that are being played in Premier League grounds that are equipped for it. I’m not sure that’s entirely fair, but them’s the rules.

Peep! Kevin Friend brings the first half to a close. Chorley from the sixth tier lead the youth of Championship side Derby County by the only goal of the game, a scoreline that doesn’t do the home side’s dominance justice.

45+1 min: Another Chorley corner ends with Ollie Shenton shooting into the side-netting from a very tight angle.

44 min: We approach half-time with Connor Hall’s headed goal separating the sides, but in truth there’s been a gulf in physicality, if not necessarily class.

The grown-up part-timers have completely dominated the youthful full-timers, who can consider themselves pretty fortunate to still be in the game.

42 min: A let-off for Derby! Will Tomlinson rattles the cross-bar with a lobbed volley from distance that had Matt Yates well and truly beaten. The effort presented itself when a long-throw was cleared his way and sat up nicely. If his improvised effort had gone in it would almost certainly have been a goal of the round contender.

40 min: Max Bardell gets the better of makeshift Chorley left-back Lewis Baines and tries to tee up Bobby Duncan with a pull-back, but Chorley keeper Matt Urwin intervenes and dives on the ball.

38 min: Cardwell wins another flick on which lands at the feet of Elliot Newby on the right flank. He cuts inside and tries his luck from distance but his effort sails high over the crossbar.

36 min: Chorley goalkeeper Matt Urwin lumps the ball long and Harry Cardwell wins another flick-on for his side. Derby clear on this occasion but Cardwell is a big unit and a constant threat.

34 min: Derby County have yet to register an attempt on goal, while their hosts have had five. Chorley win another corner and the ball is swung to the near post, where it’s cleared.

32 min: Bobby Duncan, a cousin of Steven Gerrard and former Liverpool acadamy prospect, protests when the ball goes out for what he thinks should be a Derby County corner, only for a goal kick to be awarded to Chorley.

28 min: From the byline, Connor Hall pulls the ball back to Mike Calveley in the penalty area through the legs of a defender. Calveley’s first touch is awful and a good scoring chance goes to waste.