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Your support makes all the difference.Harrogate Railway took the field yesterday to find a herd of inflatable sheep surreally grazing in the goalmouth. Even after 130 years, the FA Cup's penchant for producing the unexpected remains undiminished, though it could not trick the team lying 17th in the Northern Counties East League into bridging a chasm of five divisions and 128 rungs between themselves and Bristol City.
From the moment they went ahead midway through the first half after Phil Walker's own goal, the Second Division promotion candidates asserted their superiority on a sloping pitch at Station View. When they doubled their lead through Scott Murray after half-time, City's third-round place looked a formality. But Steve Davey, a postman, scored for Railway to set up an exciting final 12 minutes, only for Christian Roberts to ensure a more realistic scoreline in stoppage time.
Not that the home club were crestfallen, even though their 100 regular supporters must have dreamed of entering the draw with the big clubs for the first time in their 67-year history. Paul Marshall's team swigged cheerfully from cans of lager as reporters sought their views. One striker, a barman called Kevin Smith, appeared behind Danny Wilson just as the City manager was being interviewed by for television and shouted to a colleague: "Give us a ciggy, Mick!"
Their new-found fans milled around chanting: "Venables out, Marshall in," before heading off into the mean streets of Harrogate. The suburb of Starbeck is reputedly one of the rougher parts of a town so dangerous the tea-room owners go round in pairs. Yet the atmosphere in the ground, where a temporary stand had been erected, was almost genteel until Railway's late rally.
While that doubtless suited City, the pitch did not, the uneven surface hardly facilitating the quickfire passing style favoured by Danny Wilson's side. Railway started well enough to prompt a chorus of "Are you watching, Harrogate Town?" – the supposedly superior cross-town neighbours whom they play in a West Riding Cup match tomorrow – but their optimism was soon punctured.
Perhaps trying to avoid hitting the home fans' dozen or so plastic sheep, which had been placed beside Ed Neale's near post, City's Lee Peacock fired across goal. The ball may have gone in anyway, but Walker unwittingly made sure with his knee. City doubled their advantage after Roberts broke along Railway's right, the side policed by their outstanding player, Ian McLean. He cut the ball back to Murray, the wing-back sidefooting his 16th goal of the season.
The diminutive Davey, who started on the bench because of a foot injury, headed the part-timers back into contention after a pass by Ian Hart, whose presence inevitably prompted much joking about Leeds' left-back finding his level.
Having started their Cup campaign nine matches earlier, in August, Railway scented a replay. But in stoppage time Roberts beat Neale to Micky Bell's pass, chesting the ball past the keeper before slotting it into an unguarded net.
Railway, whose annual wage bill is £18,000, depart the competition £100,000 better off from Sky's coverage. Meanwhile, it will take a gem to beat Davey's entry for the season's best Cup quote. Smoking and drinking outside the dressing-room, he explained his fitness regime: "The beers are for laughing and the fags for opening up the lungs."
Goals: Walker og (20) 0-1; Murray (52) 0-2; Davey (78) 1-2; Roberts (90) 1-3.
Harrogate Railway Athletic (5-3-2): Neale; Wilson, Danby, Ames, Walker, McLean; Watkinson (Constable, 69), Gore, Stansfield (Hart, 77); Smith, Flynn (Davey, 56). Substitutes not used: McDaid, Sunley (gk).
Bristol City (3-5-2): Phillips; Coles (Carey, 65), Butler, Hill; Murray, Doherty, Burnell, Tinnion, Bell; Roberts, Peacock. Substitutes not used: Brown, Lita, Rosenior, Stowell (gk).
Referee: P Danson (Leicester).
Bookings: Harrogate: Wilson, Stansfield.
Man of the match: Doherty.
Attendance: 3,500.
FA CUP THIRD-ROUND DRAW
Leicester City v Bristol City
Scunthorpe Utd or Carlisle Utd v Leeds Utd
Gillingham v Sheffield Wed
Chelsea v Middlesbrough
Ipswich Town v Morecambe
Preston North End v Bristol Rovers or Rochdale
Manchester City v Liverpool
Shrewsbury Town v Everton
Southend Utd or Bournemouth v Crewe Alexandra
Plymouth Argyle v Dagenham & Redbridge
Cambridge Utd or Northampton Town v Millwall
Bolton v Sunderland
Darlington v Farnborough
Walsall v Reading
Fulham v Birmingham City
Stoke City v Wigan Athletic
West Ham Utd v Nottingham Forest
Charlton Athletic v Exeter City
Sheffield Utd v Cheltenham
Aston Villa v Blackburn Rovers
Cardiff City v Coventry City
Wolves v Newcastle Utd
Southampton v Tottenham Hotspur
Norwich City v Brighton
Arsenal v Oxford Utd
Grimsby Town v Burnley
West Bromwich Albion v Bradford City
Rotherham Utd v Wimbledon
Brentford v Derby County
Blackpool v Crystal Palace
Manchester Utd v Portsmouth
Macclesfield Town v Watford
(Ties to be played weekend of 4 and 5 January)
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