On the day Macclesfield handed out the biggest FA Cup shock in history, Carlisle United suffered their own nightmare in the FA Trophy.
The Cumbrians travelled to Kent to take on Isthmian League side Chatham Town, going there as National League leaders three levels higher than their hosts.
But it meant little, and like FA Cup holders Crystal Palace at Macclesfield, they went down to a narrow defeat –1-0 in their case.
Scant consolation will be the old adage – “We can concentrate on the league now.”
The only goal came in the 25th minute, a superbly-struck free kick from Matty Macarthur, which gave United keeper Harry Lewis little chance of saving.
Carlisle were poor in the first-half and although they improved, taking the game to Chatham in the second-half, they couldn’t break-down a disciplined home defence.
Chatham, from the Isthmian League, were playing in the fourth round of the competition for the first time in their history, but they are now through to the last 16 with the draw on Monday.
The first chance had fallen to Carlisle after a lovely pass from Elliot Embleton released David Ajiboye but his shot was wide of the target.
Chatham certainly deserved to be in front at the break through McArthur’s free-kick which he bent into the top corner. Carlisle made three changes at half-time with Chris Conn-Clarke, Harper and Williams joining the action.
Manager Mark Hughes had clearly not been happy at half-time and certainly side side offered more goal threat on the resumption.
They won a succession of corners but Chatham defended doggedly and it was the lively Conn-Clarke who posed most problems, testing home keeper Nathan Harvey with a free-kick and then another effort late on.
To make the day more miserable for the Blues they lost the leadership of the National League after York’s 2-1 win at Sutton United.
