Non-league Chester and Dover provide the FA Cup shocks

ByReuters

Updated 08/11/2014 at 20:35 GMT

Non-league sides Chester and Dover Athletic provided the shocks of the FA Cup first round as they both overcame League Two (fourth tier) opponents as football's oldest domestic cup competition swung into full action on Saturday.

FA Cup first-round, generic (PA Sport)

Image credit: PA Sport

Among 25 ties taking place, nine non-league sides, who had already negotiated the qualifying rounds, met clubs from Leagues One and Twofor a place in the second round.

And with a history for shocks and stories of underdogs triumphing against adversity, it was Chester and Dover that provided the upsets.

Goals from Ben Heneghan and Craig Mahon gave Chester a 2-1 win away at League Two promotion-chasers Southend United while Stefan Payne was the hero for Dover when his first-half goal was enough for a 1-0 home victory over Morecambe.

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Elsewhere, fourth-tier Cheltenham Town thrashed third tier Swindon Town 5-0 at home while 1912 FA Cup winners Barnsley of the third tier beat fourth tier Burton Albion by the same score to provide the stand-out results amongst the league teams.

League Two side Cambridge United beat Fleetwood Town 1-0 to dump out a side one league above them.

Brothers Elliot and Tom Bradbrook both scored as Dartford won 4-3 away at Bromley in a clash of the non-league teams, while in another seven-goal thriller Milton Keynes Dons, who beat Manchester United 4-0 in the League Cup in August, won 4-3 at League One rivals Port Vale.

League Cup quarter-finalists Sheffield United struggled to transfer their cup form to the FA Cup and drew 0-0 away at fellow third-tier Crewe Alexandra, who are currently bottom of their league, to ensure a replay.

The first round kicked off on Friday when Warrington Town, the lowest-ranked team left in the competition and in the first round for the first time, beat Exeter City, 100 league places above them 1-0.

Twelve more ties take place on Sunday and Monday including 1987 winners Coventry City, now of League One, facing non-League Worcester City, with the draw for the next round taking place on Monday.

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