Final score: Bishop Auckland 2 Spennymoor 3

SPENNYMOOR are proving to be away day specialists this season. Promoted to the Evo-Stik League, they went to old Northern League rivals Bishop Auckland and won 3-2 – their fifth run on the road.

Moors found the back of the net after just 13 seconds, but they still needed a goal from substitute Mikey Roberts to put them into the next round.

Moors were below their best, but Bishops couldn’t capitalise because of their defensive inadequacies.

Bishops went into the game having suffered a single defeat this campaign, but they can’t afford many more poor defensive performances like this if they are to challenge for honours.

Bishops manager David Bayles said: “We drummed into the defence before the game that we had to keep it tight for the first ten minutes.

“Maybe they thought I said ten seconds!

“It was a bad goal to give away, and to make matters worse, we gave them another one before halftime.”

Moors manager Jason Ainsley said: “It was a typical derby. We got off to a flyer but didn’t kick on.

“Fair play to Bishop who I thought were excellent on the day and were always a threat.”

Bishops had only touched the ball three times before defender Ben Riding tried to play the ball into midfield, but gave it to Moors striker Liam Henderson who ran through and slotted the ball under keeper Scott Pocklington.

Bishops showed their character to come back and equalise when the impressive Glen Lane crossed from the left for Danny Brunskill to get in front of two defenders and head past Moors’ keeper Alan McHugh at his near post.

But on 37 minutes Riding again dropped a clanger, when he lost possession to Henderson inside his own box, and the Moors forward obliged.

Bishops started the second half well, and levelled with a peach of a 25-yard free-kick by Lane into the top left corner.

On 73 minutes Moors again benefitted from some hesitant defending, when sub Michael Roberts, who had only been on the field for three minutes, held off two challenges and slotted the ball past Pocklington.

The keeper was later lucky to stay on the field for getting involved in a heated argument with referee Paul Keogh.