For the second season running Harrogate Town exited the F A Cup at the first hurdl,e when they lost 2-1 to Stockport County.
Luke Dean and Leigh Franks made the starting line up replacing the suspended Simon Lenighan and the injured Dave McGurk.
Town made the better start and Callum Hassan could have given them a first minute lead when he headed wide from a Leigh Franks centre.
An Adam Nowakowski header from Craig Nelthorpe’s cross was ruled out for offside and James Walshaw forced Jordan Fagbola into making a timely block.
Stockport managed to weather the early storm and took a seventeenth minute lead when Richie Baker’s cross shot beat Phil Barnes and evaded Matt Heath’s lunge before crossing the line.
Jamie Milligan’s free kick brought out a flying save from Barnes and Kristian Dennis had a shot deflected for a corner as Town were pushed back.
Stephen O’Halloran’s sliced clearance was scrambled away only as far as Dean, who tried his luck with an opportunistic lob which sailed over the bar.
Town had an early attacking flurry at the start of the second half and Hurst had to tip Heath’s header from a Franks long throw over the bar, before diving to kept out a Nelthorpe drive.
Town were beginning to be caught on the counter and Chris Churchman broke down the left only to see his centre driven into the side netting by Chris Sharp.
Hassan headed a Lloyd Kerry free kick over the top as Town pushed forward,but on the hour Milligan’s delightful through ball sent Kristian Dennis clear and his powerful drive was to hot for Barnes to keep out.
Jake Speight,Dominic Rowe and Jake Emmett replaced Dean,Hassan and Nelthorpe and Town began to play with more mobility.
Speight hit the foot of the post with Hurst well beaten and Walshaw had a thirty yard drive tipped over before the relentless pressure finally paid off.
With twelve minutes left,Speight picked up a long clearance and fired over Hurst to give Town a glimmer of hope.
Speight,who had an impressive last half hour, had a shot deflected for a corner,but County hung on to progress into the next round.
Town
1Barnes, 2 Bloomer, 3 Meynell, 4 Franks, 5 Heath (c), 6 Dean (Speight 63), 7 Kerry, 8 Nowakowski, 9 Hassan,( Rowe 75), 10 Walshaw, 11 Nelthorpe ( Emmett 75).
Unused subs, 13 Crook, 14 Kendall, 15 Killock,17 Swain Bookings nil
Scorer Speight (78). Att 604
By John Harrison.
Great win for County, but we had to soak up a lot of pressure from Harrogate.