Third time's the charm for history-making Runcorn Linnets in FA Cup

The tie against Ashton marked only the third time since the club was formed in 2006 that they had made the third qualifying round. 

And after a dramatic late leveller from Robins forward Jason Gilchrist at the APEC Taxis Stadium on Saturday forced a replay, many felt that it just wasn’t to be for NPL West Division side Linnets.

Steve Cunningham’s Robins had previously beaten National League North side Scarborough Athletic at home, in one of the standout results of the second qualifying round.

Linnets boss Brad Cooke admitted that his side needed to “turn up and be better” after Saturday’s draw at home, but after they progressed on Tuesday night, he branded their performance in the opening half-hour “unplayable”.

“It won us the game,” Cooke said post-match.

“We blew them away: they couldn’t get out of their half. We were winning first and second balls, breaking with pace and looking so dangerous.

“It’s hard to put into words, to be honest. Just the effort, the commitment, the willingness to run and press. To watch your players go out on their shield like that, it’s mind-blowing and I’m so, so proud of them.”

That perfect 30-minute spell saw Runcorn take the lead once more against their NPL Premier Division opponents. 

Cooke stressed the importance of picking up a second goal after their 1-1 draw in the initial meeting, and Linnets grabbed an all-important buffer within the opening 23 minutes.

Scott Bakkor and Naim Arsan’s efforts created a barrier that Ashton, despite getting a goal back on the stroke of half-time through frontman Gilchrist, couldn’t get through.

“We had to weather some storms,” Cooke added. 

“Harvey [Bardsley]’s had to pull off a great save in the first half, and there was a lot of pressure in and around the area in the second.

‘We’ve got that dog in us, and we’ve shown tonight that we can scrap with anybody.

“The words have run out for this group of players. I’m so proud of them, the club, the fans who have come in incredible numbers, and I’m so glad that after Saturday’s game, we’ve been able to put that right with an unbelievable performance and deserved victory.”

Victory means Linnets will face National League North side Buxton in the fourth qualifying round.

On the importance of Tuesday’s win, Cooke said: “We had to get past tonight and we knew we had to be better than we were on Saturday to get the result, which we were.

“I’ll never look past anybody, I’ve got too much respect for teams at our level, teams above and even teams below. I’ve been on the wrong side of it, but I’ve also been on the right side, too.

“We’re so battle-worn, but now we can look forward to the Buxton game.

“We’ve created history as a football club and the fans need to enjoy it, because I know the players are.”