A brilliant performance by Harrogate Town saw them trounce league leaders Brackley Town 6-1.
After a tense opening 15 minutes,which was played mainly in midfield, Brackley began to threaten.
A free kick was harshly awarded against Dave Merris,but Dwayne Samuels was on hand to head away Glenn Walker’s cross.
Shortly afterwards,Brackley’s main dangerman Walker, squandered a great chance when he shot across goal.
Two Cihb Chilaka crosses caused consternation in the visiting defence, before Harrogate took the lead on 24 minutes.
Adam Bolder found Merris and his deep cross was returned across goal by Luke Dean for Chilaka to divert in.
In a purple patch for Town, Tom Platt and Dan Forrest had crosses scrambled away and Paul Beesley’s lob drifted across goal.
On 36 minutes,Brackley failed to cut out a Merris corner and the unmarked Platt headed home, only for Walker to immediately pull one back when he shot through a crowded area,after Town failed to clear a corner.
Three minutes later, Curtis McDonald’s clearance rebounded to Chilaka and his shot was turned in by Beesley to make it three.
On the stroke of half time, Brackley once again failed to deal with a Merris inswinging corner and Alan White was on hand to head in number four.
Brackley’s misery was heightened five minutes after the break when Chilaka dispossessed Wayne Hatswell,to leave Beesley to make it five, with a low shot into the far corner.
Brackley made a triple substitution in a vain attempt to salvage something from the game.
However,on 66 minutes Dan Forrest broke clear and chipped past Krzysztof Kylski in the visitor’s goal to make it six.
Brackley never gave up and produced some excellent football to make it a memorable game.
Home keeper Craig McGillivray cut out some dangerous centres,before saving well from Walker,but he could only watch helplessly as sub, Michael Corcoran’s free kick sailed narrowly wide.
It was all too little too late for the visitors and Town completed a morale boosting win to send them into next week’s cup tie in good heart.
Harrogate Town 1 McGillivray 2 Samuels 3 Merris 4 Bolder 5 White (c) 6 Killock 7 Platt 8 Dean (Nowakowski 88) 9 Chilaka 10 Beesley
11 Forrest
Unused subs 12 Elam 14 Clayton 15 Allan 17 Bloomer Bookings nil
Scorers Chilaka 24,Platt 36, Beesley 41,50 ,White 45, Forrest 66
Attendance 487
