Carlisle City beat Esh Winning 4-1 at Gillford Park to reach the first round proper of the FA Vase for the first time in 42 years.
Helped by a hat-trick from Jordan Irving they join tomorrow’s draw with fellow Cumbrian clubs, Penrith and Cleator Moor Celtic.
Esh Winning are managed by Ian Chandler, three times a Vase winner whilst with Whitley Bay, but he had seen his side beaten 1-0 at home by Easington Colliery as recently as Thursday evening. The game was refereed by Paul Brown, dropping down from his usual Conference North games.
After a quiet start City skipper Simpson had a great chance in the 9th minute at close range but he shot straight at goalkeeper Lamb.
Two minutes later the visitors took the lead. A left-wing corner was floated in and a harmless-looking challenge between Kirkup and Marley was deemed worthy of a penalty by the referee, who added insult onto injury by booking the City defender.
The penalty from McLeod was driven confidently past Murray, putting City behind in a game at home for the first time this season.
Fine play by Holt in the 19th minute set up Atkinson but his shot was blocked. However, the relief for Esh was only temporary as fine wing play by Irving on the right was followed by a back-post cross to Atkinson, who dispatched his header past Lamb for the equaliser.
City struggled to build on their equaliser and some sloppy passing allowed Esh to regain the ascendancy, although the visitors struggled to create clear chances.
A great Palmer run on 36 minutes won City a corner which was cleared, and Esh broke quickly up-field, with Murray forced into a save from McMahon.
The visitors had looked strong throughout the half, with Marley in particular being a real handful for the City defence.
On 39 minutes, Atkinson had a great chance to put City ahead but blazed his shot wide , and then at the other end, Murray was in action again, producing a fine save to deny Goldsmith-Scott.
Then Holt was lucky not to concede an own goal as his misdirected header flew off the outside of his own post and the resulting corner was cleared by Atkinson.
The second half began with City taking up the running and they got their second goal on 58 minutes from a Palmer corner. Kirkup won the first header and Irving the second to power past Lamb.
Esh were not about to give up and a 64th-minute shot from Marley was not far away. Bowman had to concede another corner to Esh on 71 minutes and the City defence did well to block a well-struck shot from Swift.
There was then probably a turning point in the game as Marley missed a great Esh chance on 74 minutes when it looked easier to score. As so often happens, City went up-field to make it 3-1 as Palmer’s right-wing cross was headed in by Irving.
On 78 minutes, it was 4-1 as Irving completed his hat-trick with a confident finish from the edge of the box, for his 7th goal of the season.
City threatened more as great work from Longcake saw his cross fly over the six-yard box but in the end they had won comfortably enough.
