Shildon 1 Norton United 2.

Shildon’s dreams of a local money spinning derby in the first round of the FA Cup were shattered against Norton United at Dean Street last night.

Shildon produced a rousing last 20 minutes, but they left themselves with too much to do against the EvoStik League side after going 2-0 down early in the second half.

Norton forced the first corner in the opening minute which was curled over to the far post by Lee Cropper, and Chris Baker headed harmlessly over the bar from ten yards out.

Shildon counter attacked well down the right hand side on 4 minutes when Ben Wood broke in the inside right position, and keeper Danny Roberts held on at full stretch.

The railwaymen, the lowest ranked team left in the competition, went close again on 9 minutes, when Jon Brackstone curled a free kick into the six yard box from the right hand side, and Darren Craddock glanced the ball wide.

With Jamie Harwood busy down the right Shildon forced three corners and they almost scored from the third. Craddock’s header was blocked on the line, and when the ball was played back into the penalty area, Wood’s low shot was blocked by the outstretched legs of Roberts.

Shildon continued to take the game to their Evostik League opponents but they almost left the back door open on 27 minutes when the nippy Cropper broke down the right and pulled the ball back for Kyle Diskin to sidefoot just over the top from the edge of the area.

Norton had a let off a minute later when Jon Brackstone whipped a free kick from the left across the face of goal, with no one in red able to get a touch, and then Roberts misjudged the flight of a left wing corner by Lee Scroggins, but no one could take advantage.

Norton stunned Shildon by taking the lead on 38 minutes. Shildon defender Carl Jones slipped on the edge of the area as he went for a right wing cross, and that allowed Lee Cropper to latch on to the ball, turn and beat the outstretched left hand of Hayes with a left foot shot into the bottom corner of the net.

Shildon thought they’d equalised just on half time when Lee Scroggins ran through and beat Roberts, but he was flagged offside.

Straight after the restart, Wood was denied by Roberts as the ball dropped in the Norton area, but suddenly Norton had two chances in a minute . Craddock nearly turned a Baker cross into his own net, Hayes just grabbing the ball, then Cropper forced Hayes into a full length save after he cut in from the left.

Shildon’s task was even more difficult on 54 minutes when Tom Winkle found Kyle Diskin with a delightful diagonal crossfield pass, and even though Craddock managed to block Diskin’s intended square pass for Cropper, the ball ran back to Diskin who lashed the ball into the top corner.

Craddock went close to pulling one back with a header from Harwood’s corner that went just over the top, but they finally broke through on 73 minutes when Scroggins put the ball through for Paul Connor to take in his stride and blast past the helpless Roberts.

It got frantic after that, with a low shot by Chris Emms causing chaos, while there were some questionable offside decisions by the officials.

With seven minutes left, sub Micky Rae set up Emms, whose dipping shot just cleared the bar , and then the ball dropped invitingly for Hudson twelve yards out, but he blazed over the bar.

Hayes went up for a late free kick, but nobody from Shildon could get a firm connection, then Connor headed another free kick wide in a packed penalty area.

Shildon; Hayes, Harwood, Brackstone (sub Richardson 57), Hudson, Craddock, Jones, Hodgson, Scroggins, Connor, Wood (sub Rae 57) , Doninger (sub Emms 72) Subs not used Emms, Rundle, Atkin, Richmond, Graham Norton united Roberts, Green, Taylor, Diskin, Clarkson (sub Dawson 72), Beaumont, Backhurst, McDonald, Cropper (sub Rowley 87), Winkle, Baker Subs not used: Bradbury, Fogg, J Skellern, Hawthorne, Rowley, Dawson, L Skellern Attendance 936 Referee: K Mulraine