Carlisle United pulled off a sensational win at Reading to reach the second round of the FA Cup.
After 90 minutes they trailed 2-0 and the Royals looked to be easing their way to a comfortable win.
But in stoppage time Regan Linney, Carlisle’s top scorer who had started on the bench, scored twice to take the tie to extra time.
Then four minutes into the extra half hour Linney completed a remarkable hat-trick to clinch a famous win as it stayed 3-2 to the end.
Reading, lying 19th in League One, were playing their first game under new manager Leam Richardson who must have anticipated a winning start.
Lewis Wing had given the Royals a 32nd minute lead and when substitute Mark O’Mahony produced a close-range finish to make it 2-0 after 68 minutes Richardson’s side looked home and hosed.
But Linney, who had joined the action after Reading’s second goal, took matters into his own hands with two goals in the third and eighth minute of added time.
He got away well struck shots but there was a feeling in the Reading ranks that keeper Jack Stevens should have done better with the second.
One of the most remarkable of FA Cup hat-tricks, which will surely go down in United folklore, was completed in the fourth minute of stoppage time when a quick Carlisle counter-attack ended with Linney driving home a well-taken finish.
There was little in response from a shellshocked Reading and new boss Richardson’s afternoon culminated in a booking for an over vigorous protest to the referee.
