Football: FA Cup - Fleming in the nick of time

Lincoln City 2

Fleming 12, 90

Emley 2

Hurst 45, Graham 85

Attendance: 3,729

Poor Emley. For 14 minutes, the Yorkshire village side managed by the former Celtic and Scotland midfielder Ronnie Glavin, dared to believe they had pulled off one of the FA Cup's famous upsets.

A goal six minutes from the end of normal time appeared to have won them a place in the third round, two hurdles further than they have been before. The man of the moment was Deiniol Graham, a striker who scored as a teenage debutant for Manchester United, and who now thought he had an even more memorable goal to savour.

But, after a second half interrupted four times for injured players - and one of the assistant officials - to receive attention, referee Terry Heilbron added almost eight minutes of stoppage time and in the last of those Terry Fleming headed his second goal for the Third Division leaders.

It was a stunning blow for the part-timers, who have the consolation of a place alongside the Premiership names in tonight's third-round draw but must replay against Lincoln a week on Wednesday at the McAlpine Stadium in Huddersfield.

Glavin, who combines managing the UniBond League side with a full-time job with the sports manufacturer Nike, put on as brave a face as he could in the aftermath. "We will look back on this as a great result in time, I'm sure, and we would have been delighted with 2-2 had it been promised beforehand," he said. "But to concede a goal after so much added time is hard to take. Everyone in the dressing-room is really upset."

Emley almost pulled it off, too, without their most experienced players, although Graham spent five years on the fringes at Old Trafford before being released and Glyn Hurst, their first-half goalscorer, is ex-Barnsley.

A torn calf muscle had robbed them of their captain, the former Barnsley and Leicester midfielder Ian Banks, injured in a midweek FA Trophy replay at Solihull in which the centre-back Neil Lacey was another casualty.

However, Emley's collection of pipe-fitters, firemen, insurance salesmen and others can relish their part in an exciting tie in which they were at least the equals of Lincoln, who are unbeaten in their last 18 matches.

Having ousted Morecambe in a penalty shoot-out to reach the latest stage - the former Derbyshire wicketkeeper Chris Marples saved three kicks out of four - Emley found more than 700 had travelled, compared with an average home gate of 300.

They raised their first big cheer in first-half stoppage time after Hurst, turning neatly in the Lincoln box despite the close attention of defenders, scored with a right-foot shot that went in off a post after beating Barry Richardson's dive.

Lincoln had gone ahead through Fleming's 12th-minute header from Lee Thorpe's cross and their superior fitness seemed sure to be the decisive factor in the second half. But the pace of Emley's breakaway attacks was always a threat and it was from just such a counter-attack that Graham gave them an 84th-minute lead.

Marple then made two superb saves to preserve the advantage but Fleming, directing the ex-Emley midfielder Colin Alcide's cross out of the keeper's reach, put their dreams on hold.