You know what they say about great moments in sport? On Sunday they lasted about 20 seconds.

That was how long elapsed between Shildon pulling Notts County back to 3-2 and County scoring their fourth, the time that the club now in administration feared yet another bad day at the office.

"We were bricking it," admitted one of the County set afterwards - but Robin Hood remains Nottingham's only fairy story. It ended 7-2.

Shildon, from the Albany Northern League, were the FA Cup's lowliest survivors, through five qualifying rounds and buoyant on a wave of publicity.

Boy and man, they are the column's home-town heroes. We were there when last they reached the first round proper - away to Oldham Athletic, a town of wholesale and retail tripe merchants and of a station called Mumps, on bonfire night 1961.

In truth, however, Sunday had got off to an inauspicious start.

The other three in the car were Sunderland fans, minds still numbed from the analgesic effect of the goalless draw the previous day.

A journey in the back of the Co-op hearse might have been jollier, the respectful silence broken only by the sight of some pink pigs in a field.

"I like to see pigs in a field," someone said. It was as good as it got.

Nor were matters helped when no-one could find the appointed pub. The first people we asked were from Canberra, the second from Cockfield. They were equally unforthcoming.

Sobs, one of the Sunderland trio, went into a garage where they offered a sight of the A-Z. "It's down here-ish," he said, enlightened, and marched off in the diametrically wrong direction.

At last in the Vat and Fiddle; we downed Hemlock Bitter and debated which philosopher it was who'd died by being forced to drink hemlock and concluded, words to the wise, that it was Aristotle.

It wasn't, it was Socrates.

Near the ground, a Chinese chap sought directions, announced that he'd never been before and forecast 2-0 to Shildon. The bookies offered 16-1 against any win at all.

County scored after eight minutes, were three up in the 18th. So much for the wisdom of the Orient, so much for keeping them out early.

"Don't forget we're a second half team," said Shildon chairman Gordon Hampton, heading hurriedly for the gents.

Mr Hampton, it will be recalled, had declined to have his hair cut since the Cup run began and had finally dyed it black and purple - the club's colours.

Boardroom dress code forbade jeans and trainers but made no provision for the purple and black hooped tights worn by Mrs Elaine Jennings, his fellow director.

She'd bought them at Guru in Darlington, she said. Guru may not sell many more.

Also in the posh end were Brooks Mileson and Mike Galloway, one rather better known to the Midland Magpies than the other.

Brooks is chairman of the Albany Group, the Northern League's sponsor, and munificent backer of Gretna FC. Mike, as in Dumfries and Galloway, is Gretna's captain, spent 11 years at County and was welcomed like the prodigal son.

Brooks has also signed 42-year-old David Irons on a full-time contract and reckons him Britain's oldest professional. "I keep asking him what he's on," he said.

Word reached the half-time dressing room that the winners would be on the Gravesend shift, away. Though it might hardly have been considered incentive, the effect on the Railwaymen was remarkable.

After 12 minutes of the second half Jamie Middleton's header made it 3-1; five minutes later Gary Barnes' clinical penalty closed the gap still further.

In the row behind a County director sat with a face like an undertaker's hat, on the Meadow Lane kop 991 Shildon fans launched into "You're not singing any more" and had barely reached the coda before it was they, cruelly, who were silenced.

"I was just starting to make plans for the replay," said Mike Armitage, Shildon's sedulous secretary for 30 years - as well he might have done.

Sky TV, word was, wanted to screen it live from Dean Street and to pay £50,000 for the privilege.

Ray Gowan, the manager, dashed off to catch the eight o'clock flight to Cape Town. The players remained several minutes on the pitch, right on to the end of the road, before roundly being applauded to the showers.

Gordon Hampton, black and purple but otherwise unbruised, professed himself "very proud" of his team and was by no means alone in that.

The column last Tuesday declared that Shildon couldn't lose. Whatever it says in the paper, we didn't.

Another famous first round occasion approaches its 30th anniversary: On November 28 1973, Willington held Blackburn Rovers to a 0-0 draw, since when their paths have diverged.

While Rovers are in the Premiership, Willington struggle near the foot of the Albany Northern League second division, gaining national publicity a few months back when the brewery urged them to sup more ale, earn discounts and help pay off the debt.

The story also made Norwegian television - which is why, for the match with Newcastle Blue Star on November 22, 15 thirsty Norwegians are flying in to do their bit to help.

"I think they're hoping to drink us dry. They seem pretty excited about it and are even bringing a present," says club chairman John Phelan.

The trip is being organised by a Norwegian company which makes underwear for the Over 40s, though most of the group work elsewhere.

"They're just silly men, they have a strange sense of humour in Norway," says Pam Andrew, the company's London agent.

"So far as I can tell, drinking is their hobby and they take it quite seriously. I think it's just a chance to get away from their wives and have a good time."

John Phelan's quite excited - "so far as I can tell, they just want to get bladdered" - though the Norsemen may have underestimated the potency of good Willington ale.

They've asked him to organise a football match next morning.

Leaving only the bad and the ugly, the great and the good had gone home by the time we reached Norman Ayton's golden jubilee do on Saturday night.

Fifty years continuously on West Auckland FC's committee, Norman received awards from FA, County FA, club and league but appeared particularly taken by a more unexpected gesture.

Albany Northern League president and former FIFA referee George Courtney had bought him a pint of Guinness.

George guards carefully his reputation for financial prudence. "He asked me to tell you as soon as you got here," said Norman.

"I think he wants it in the paper."

The previous evening to Wolviston Cricket Club's sportsmen's dinner, a highly convivial occasion at which John Conteh spoke of his world championship experiences.

He had more hair in those days - "it was my Jackson Five look," he said - and was only a light heavyweight then.

The chief fund-raising activity at such occasions is usually the auction of signed shirts - doubtless a sign of the times that Middlesbrough and Sunderland's raised around £150 apiece and Manchester United's almost four times as much.

And finally...

the Co Durham town with an area called Wembley (Backtrack, November 7) is Murton.

Brian Shaw in Shildon - back where we began - today invites readers to name the player who in 1984 became the first Frenchman to play in the old first division.

We return, tout suite, on Friday.

Published: 11/11/2003