Chorley 1-2 Fleetwood Town
- Published
Highlights: Chorley 1-2 Fleetwood
Jack Sowerby's injury-time goal took 10-man Fleetwood past non-league Chorley in the FA Cup first round.
Sixth-tier Chorley, managed by former Blackburn striker Matt Jansen, took a shock lead in the 58th minute when Marcus Carver put away a loose ball.
Fleetwood's Lewie Coyle was sent off for a tackle on Jake Cottrell but they levelled through Devante Cole's header.
Sowerby took advantage of a defensive lapse to set up a second-round tie with seventh-tier Hereford.
A replay was the least deserved by Chorley, who were rarely threatened by a side 71 places above them on the football ladder.
In a game low on chances, Carver was able to pounce when Ashley Eastham's clearance bounced back towards goal off his own team-mate Nathan Pond.
And a boisterous home support at Victory Park, full with 3,500 fans, would have sensed the club's third appearance in the second round was forthcoming when Coyle dived in on Cottrell and was shown a red card.
But it all unravelled in the final 13 minutes, with Cole, the son of former Manchester United striker Andrew Cole, heading in Wes Burns' cross and Sowerby getting between 19-year-old debutant keeper Ollie Byrne and a defender to finish.
Chorley boss Matt Jansen on BT Sport: "It's bitterly tough to take. We were the better team in the first half but they gambled after they had a man sent off. They threw men forwards and their winner was a hopeful ball, a scuffed pass that ended up at their man.
"When they went down to 10 men, you start thinking of an upset. We are gutted but now we concentrate on the league. It's hard to take."
Fleetwood manager Uwe Rosler on BT Sport: "It was very difficult. We were shocking until we had 10 men.
"We have to be more physical. We learned good lessons. We didn't understand when and where to pass the ball.
"For 60 minutes, we were nowhere near the standards. We couldn't clear our lines, we never won a single header. The subs made the impact.
"Lewie Coyle is a fantastic player but he was frustrated. We will not talk about this today, we need to get the emotions out of the way but we have no complaints about the red card."