Top matches from Round 1 of the FA Cup: Yorkshire derbies and hat-trick heroes

Leagues One and Two of the EFL were suspended from Friday, October 31, to Monday, November 1, all thanks to the return of the FA Cup.

Before current holders Crystal Palace begin their defence of the trophy, the first round has already seen a couple of upsets and surprises in fixtures that would be hard to find anywhere else. 

Here, Sports News Blitz’s Charlie Gardner shares some talking points from the first round of the FA Cup.

Barnsley 3-2 York City: Yorkshire lad stuns Yorkshire side

A Yorkshire derby took place at Oakwell in S71 on Saturday, November 1, as fans of National League York City travelled in immense numbers to try their luck against the local side that sits a whopping 44 league positions above them.

Home side Barnsley are hoping to reinvigorate themselves this season under the leadership of young boss Conor Hourihane after a few years of stagnation in League One. 

Meanwhile, York City are also going for success. After a fantastic 96-point campaign last year saw them fall short in the playoffs to eventual winners Oldham Athletic, they look to go again under the leadership of former Notts County man Stuart Maynard.

Two different leagues but similar stories here, with both sides struggling to get a foothold in their respective leagues this year.

With over 2,700 of the 5,953 attendees being travelling fans, there was no surprise who wanted it more on Saturday - and the performances reflected that. 

The first goal came from the away side, as young man Josh Stones headed the ball into the net to cause bedlam in the away end. 

Barnsley soon responded against the run of play, though, with star-man Davis Keillor-Dunn coolly finishing just seven minutes later to draw the hosts level.

A tidy pass later in the second half found Dunn once more, who finished again to give the hosts the lead.

Bedlam ensued once again, thanks to an 87th-minute equaliser through defender Mark Kitching.

This was to no avail in the end, as a 90th-minute goal from Barnsley veteran Marc Roberts put the Tykes through to the next round.

The story here isn’t the result, however. It’s about that young lad, Josh Stones.

The hot prospect was touted for numerous League Two moves in January after a strong spell on loan at Oldham Athletic, but it was York who won his signature in a rumoured big-money bid to get over the line last season.

Despite coming in with a hefty pedigree, Stones has seemingly struggled to hit the ground running this year, and the same could be said for his side, who sit in seventh place thus far.

The way he played on Saturday has received its plaudits from both sets of fans on social media, with an abundance of praise towards his header as well as his hard work and seemingly constant involvement in the game. At just 21 years of age, that’s a sign you’ve got a decent bit of potential. 

A classic forward who is capable in the air, at his age, many would deem it reasonable to assume that there’s still plenty more to come from Josh Stones at a higher level.

Even though the Minstermen lost and have disappointed so far in the league, it could just be the confidence boost they need. 

Barnsley have been rewarded for their win with a visit to league-mates Peterborough United, who have failed to show much at this stage of the season.

With a change in the dugout for the Posh, could it be a bigger task than originally thought?

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Oldham Athletic 3-1 Northampton Town: Magical Mellon grabs hat-trick

Oldham Athletic are starting to fire now, as manager Micky Mellon’s son, Michael Mellon (yes, seriously), found the net three times to get his side into the hat for Round 2.

Oldham are a side that I’ve criticised for their lack of comfortable wins so far. Sorry, Oldham fans, I might have misjudged you - or is it a statement towards how poor Northampton Town are this year?

Well, youngster Michael Mellon got the start this Saturday against a League One side and showed his accuracy almost immediately through a lovely overhead kick in the third minute. 

Then, just a minute later, he ran in behind the Cobblers’ backline and scored once more.

Another in the 50th into an open net, and that was both the game and the hat-trick complete.

Northampton pulled one back in the first minute of injury time, but it was met with only sarcastic cheers from a mixture of home and away supporters.

Northampton Town have had a few decent results in the league this season, but the word most appropriate to describe their start so far is uninspiring.

Yes, there are low expectations of the side this season, but against an almost equally inconsistent side in the League below, is the performance good enough?

Another young striker steals the story this time. Mellon has only scored three so far in the league after joining towards the end of the window, even underperforming his expected tally of about five. 

Mellon is a young lad who hasn’t really had a decent run of games since his season on loan at Morecambe a couple of years ago.

Could a move to his father’s side, who needed a striker to give the time to, have been perfect? Or would it be a load of unnecessary pressure?

Remember, he’s still only 21, and it seems he’s in the perfect environment to grow.

Northampton now get the opportunity to focus their efforts in the league, allowing them to remove all distractions and hopefully prove me wrong.

In the second round, Oldham visit fellow League Two titans MK Dons in a game that both sides will hope is more entertaining than their 0-0 draw on the opening day of the season.

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Reading 2-3 Carlisle United: Regan Linney, hero of Hughes’ Blues

Reading looked to be off on a comfortable route to the second round under newly-appointed manager Leam Richardson before Carlisle United’s top scorer Regan Linney turned up to spoil the day.

It looked to be all sunshine and rainbows for Reading early on; Lewis Wing’s well-targeted effort gave the hosts a lead that was well-deserved, leaving rotated goalkeeper Harry Lewis no chance to stop it.

Defender Morgan Feeney put the ball in the net soon after, but there were no complaints when it was chalked off due to offside.

Mark O’Mahony also scored for the Royals in the second half, and for a while it seemed that would be the game done. 

Until Regan Linney turned up.

In the 93rd minute, a loose ball from a free-kick fell to Linney in the box, who instantly converted to pull one back for the Cumbrian visitors.

Then, during the final minute of injury time, Linney received the ball and calmly struck low into the near corner to send the game into extra time at Reading’s expense.

It only took four minutes after the restart for Linney to drive his third and final nail into the coffin for Reading, with a sublime finish from out of the area proving enough to see Reading out of the competition and, more importantly, put Mark Hughes’ Blues through to the next round.

Reading are in the midst of a rebuild, after last season’s financial trouble saw them saved by the ownership of American businessman Rob Couhig. 

The side seemed reasonably well-backed through the summer window; Reading had their fair share of disappointment already this year through the management of Noel Hunt.

Hunt was only appointed in December 2024, but disappointing results made his position untenable.

Leam Richardson is the man now tasked with turning the ship around, having saved Wigan Athletic from relegation in previous years - the following season saw him take Wigan up as champions.

A good manager with decent experience, I can’t help but feel like Richardson is tailor-made for such a role.

As was the case with Northampton Town, the brighter side of leaving the FA Cup so early is that it now allows the club to focus on everything that really seems to matter this season - stability in the league.

Carlisle United, also under the ownership of an American family, share this sense of change at the club.

Since the Piataks’ ownership of Carlisle United, the side, once a newly-promoted League One side, are now newly-relegated to the National League, in just two years.

As Carlisle’s relegation loomed last year, they appointed former Manchester United player and Premier League manager Mark Hughes to steady the ship in a late bid to turn things around.

The side were certainly much more competent under Hughes, but ultimately saw relegation.

The atmosphere at United has changed now, with a feeling of footballing dominance through a strong window backing their manager.

A win like this continues that feel-good factor at the club after dark times and will inevitably provide a great deal of confidence to the squad, particularly that man Linney.

Carlisle United will now pay a visit to the seaside in the next round as they face League One Blackpool, a side that seem to have turned their fortunes around through the recent appointment of Ian Evatt.

I have the strangest feeling they might see them off, too, but I’d be surprised to see another win in that fashion.

Closing remarks

So, as the FA Cup pauses until December, that was everything I found interesting while we wait for more sides to join.

Plenty of sides seem to be punching up this year in an absolute testament to the levels of competition we see in this country.

The completion of the second round also bodes well for the entrance of not just Premier League but also Championship teams - both of which played during the weekend, meaning a Championship review with no shortage of drama won’t be too far away.

For now, the FA Cup bows out and leaves us waiting until next month - what calls do you have for upsets, or even a potential winner, this year round?

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