After beating Stokesley in the Extra Preliminary Round of the FA Cup, next up for the Dennyboys was Evo-Stick Division One side Harrogate Railway. Harrogate had beaten Garforth Town in a league match on Tuesday night by six goals to two, so were coming to Dennyfield in confident mood for their first appearance of the season in this, the most prestigeous of all, cup competitions. Thackley brought in Matt Mathers to lead the attack and Callum White made way for Luke Hudson to play on the right. Thackley were still unbeaten this season and a victory today would hand them a home tie against either Armthorpe Welfare or Marske United in the next round.

Thackley showed they were up for the game and attacked from the start when Joel Ettienne broke down the left, his cross found Matt Mathers, but his rushed shot from the edge of the box sailed over. A couple of minutes later and Dan Verity was on hand to head clear from Luke Hudson. Defender Luke Richardson then raced down the left, Mathers was just beaten to his cross. Ten minutes into the game and Thackley worked another chance. A Matt Morgan free kick was headed into the box, Ross Daly pounced and brought a good save from away keeper James Mann. The game was fifteen minutes old before Harrogate created anything, Paul Stansfield getting his head to a ball that Matthew Convey in the home goal did well to collect. On twenty four minutes the home side took a deserved lead, again it came from the left. The hard working Mathers running onto a defence splitting Matt Morgan pass, he drew the keeper before lobbing the ball over his head into the net. Moments later the away side threatened, Liam Gray threaded his way through a couple of defenders but his shot went just wide of the upright. Mathers hit straight back and Mann had to deal with his well struck shot. Harrogate came closest to scoring on the half hour. Steve Palfrey's run into the box was not halted by the home defenders, he slipped the ball to Aaron Hollindrake but the agile Convey was able to block his close range effort. Thackley continued to have the better of things, Mathers just failing to get his head to a Matt Morgan free kick. With just a minute to go to the break Thackley increased their lead. Chris Hanney and Daly combining well down the right, before Hanney crossed and Mathers was on hand to flick the ball into the net at the near post past the helpless Mann. Harrogate hit back straight from the restart, Palfrey playing in Kevin Ryan but he fired wide when well placed. Thackley took a deserved two goal lead in at half time, they had dominated the first half and left their higher level opponents with a lot to do if they were to get back into the match.

Ben Parkes replaced Verity for the start of the second half, in a reshuffled Harrogate defence. Straight from the kick off they threatened, skipper Liam Gray firing over from the edge of the box. Minutes later they had a chance to reduce the arrears but Stansfield shot wide from close range. Five minutes in and Thackley thought they had increased their lead and made the game safe. Tom Higman played a ball from the back, Ettienne took it in his stride and lifted it over the keeper but it was ruled out because the home striker had strayed offside. They did increase their lead on fifty four minutes with one of the best goals seen at Dennyfield for a long time and we have seen some good goals this season. Harrogate won a free kick just inside the Thackley half, it was a poor effort and the ball did not clear the home defence and was knocked wide to Matt Morgan well inside his own half. The Thackley wide man took the ball, ran fully fifty yards to the edge of the box before flicking it around a defender and sliding it passed Mann in the away goal. It was a goal to remember and one that did make the game safe. The home side were looking for more and Ettienne should have done better after Daly, Hudson and Matt Morgan had combined well to set up a chance. Harrogate's attacks were spasmodic, but Convey had to be at his best to deny substitute Mark Trueman and Rob Morgan managed to divert a Hollindrake shot for a corner. Thackley still looked the more dangerous and twenty minutes into the half they got their fourth, Daly getting his head on a Mathers cross. This killed off the opposition and the home side could have had more. Mathers and Richardson firing over when in good positions and Hanney bringing the best out of Mann. Five minutes from the end and the Harrogate goal survived again, Ettienne's diving header hitting the bar with Mann an onlooker, the ball rebounded to substitute Chris Simpson but the away keeper had recovered enough to save his goal bound header. In the final minutes of the game Thackley got their fifth goal. Stansfield handled a ball knocked across the box, this gave Ettienne the chance to get the goal his afternoon's efforts deserved. He made no mistake, hitting the spot kick into the bottom corner past a rather forlorn Mann.

It had been the Dennyboy's best performance of the season and against opposition from a higher league, Harrogate had been completely outplayed. This victory demonstrates the potential of the side that Dave and Graham have put together. In the next round Thackley play Marske United, they play in the Second Division of the Northern League. This should make the Dennyboys favourites to progress still further in the competition, but as can be seen from this match, it depends how the team performs on the day.

A match against Maltby Main on Monday gives Thackley the chance to get their first league win of the season, let us hope that they put in another performance like the one on show in this match.

Thackley team : Convey; Higson (Thompson); Richardson; Hanney; R Morgan; Firth; Hudson (White); Daly (C); Mathers (Simpson); Ettienne; M Morgan. Subs not used : Hall; McClean.

Harrogate Railway team : Mann; Thirkell; Miller; Chapman; Verity (Parkes); Gray (C); Olsson (Trueman); Stansfield; Ryan; Hollindrake; Palfrey (Bray). Subs not used : Osbourne; Davey.

Thackley scorers : Matthew Mathers 24 and 44 mins; Matt Morgan 54 mins; Ross Daly 64 mins; Joel Ettienne 90 mins (pen).

Attendance 146.