Plymouth cruise past Alvechurch to reach FA Cup second round

Plymouth cruised past Alvechurch in the FA Cup to reach the second round on 7 November 2026. The result was one of a series of ties played across the competition that produced several shocks and dramatic finishes.

Several non-league and lower-league sides produced notable results across the day, with Notts County beating Altrincham in an incredible fog-filled spectacle and non-league Kidderminster shocking League One Doncaster. Blackpool progressed thanks to Bowler's extra-time winner against 10-man Hornchurch, while Chesterfield advanced after Randall's last-gasp winner in a seven-goal thriller with Yeovil. Crewe claimed an upset over Wimbledon after McNeill's superb halfway goal.

The Notts County–Altrincham tie featured its own twists: Altrincham took a shock lead against Notts County before the visitors recovered to secure victory in poor visibility. Other matches saw big margins and high-scoring affairs, including McGeehan's hat-trick as Barnsley beat Aldershot 7-2 and Bradford putting seven past Marine with Powell and Phillips starring.

Several extra-time and stoppage-time finishes shaped the round, with Adeeko's extra-time winner sending Fleetwood Town past Rochdale and seventh-tier Guiseley stunning Sutton with a stoppage-time penalty. Dover progressed after Bates scored twice to earn an upset win over Wealdstone, while Salisbury advanced by putting six past Sholing.

League clubs also moved through: Wilshere's Luton reached round two after beating Forest Green; MK Dons edged past Swindon to progress; Wycombe won comfortably over Accrington; Port Vale defeated non-league Scunthorpe; Leicester held nerve to knock out sixth-tier Oxford City; and Bristol Rovers shocked Cambridge United to reach the second round.

The day's coverage also included FA Cup final-related moments for other fixtures: Man City beat Chelsea after a brilliant Semenyo goal, accompanied by the quoted reactions, "'Wow!' - Semenyo scores 'special' goal to win FA Cup for Man City" and "'It's happened in training' - Semenyo on FA Cup winner." Additional reports noted that "Guardiola pays tribute to departing Silva and Stones," "Stones on 'nice send off' after lifting FA Cup trophy," and McFarlane saying he was "'proud' of Chelsea's FA Cup final performance."

Plymouth's victory sends them into the FA Cup second round alongside other progressing clubs such as Wigan, Wycombe and MK Dons, who also advanced from their ties.