Tribute to the FA Cup giantkillers

Shrewsbury boss Paul Simpson may have reached the 'lowest point of my whole managerial career', but the mood was far different in a jubilant Blyth camp and general manager Ian Evans said: “The team was absolutely fantastic."

After Blyth had recorded a comprehensive 3-1 win to book a second round trip to Bournemouth, Evans added: "We scored some cracking goals. We scored after 30 seconds so it was a brilliant beginning. We kept the pressure on and it paid off.

"As for the next round, I wasn't bothered who we got because our lads stand a better chance against a strong league team . . . they'’ll raise their game."

Another League Two manager who was fuming after his side's exit in the FA Cup was Exeter's Paul Tisdale whose side were beaten by a Curzon Ashton team that sits 97 places below them in the footballing pyramid.

Curzon were cock-a-hoop after their inaugural fixture in the FA Cup first round went according to plan. Manager Gary Lowe singled out 21-year-old midfielder Chris Worsley as one to watch for the future as they face a trip to Blue Square Premier opponents Kidderminster in Round Two.

"He has unbelievable energy," said Lowe. "He is a real box-to-box player with fantastic drive and determination. He will go further in the game."

Another major shock occurred in the Cambridgeshire village of Histon where the Blue Square Premier hosts knocked out League One Swindon courtesy of a Danny Wright strike.

Their reward is a potential home fixture with either Leeds or near neighbours Northampton, which left Chairman Gareth Baldwin drooling. He said: "The publicity will be exceptional if it's Leeds because of the fact they are a monster of a club and we are a little village outfit. It will capture the imagination of the general public.

"They have enormous pedigree. It's not that long ago that they were in the Champions League semi finals. Everybody at the club would be buzzing. If we get a TV game, it would be a big boost. We are pushing to get in the Football League and that could help us with one or two players to achieve that."

Swindon were bombarded throughout and their manager Maurice Maplas offered no excuses for their premature exit.. "There are no excuses," Malpas said. "We knew exactly what we were going to be up against and we just weren't good enough on the day."

Match winner Wright was adamant their direct approach was the right one and warned Leeds or Northampton to expect more of the same in Round Two. "When you are playing a team two leagues above you it is unlikely that you can win by trying to pass the ball," he said. "We knew we had to play at a high tempo and pump balls into the box because if we let Swindon dictate the game they would have walked all over us."

League Two pace-setters Darlington were held to a goalless draw by Blue Suqare North opponents Droylseden with both managers claiming they had more to offer. "We will play better than that in the replay, though we had enough chances to win it," said Quakers boss Dave Penney.

However, Droylsden boss Dave Pace, countered: "We can play a lot better than that and I hope we will do in the replay. We are not just about defending, we like to get the ball down and play and we will be looking to do that at our place."