Mulbarton Wanderers beat Woodford Town 2-0 in FA Cup replay

Mulbarton Wanderers saw off Woodford Town 2-0 in their FA Cup replay and moved into the next round of the world's oldest football competition. A record crowd of 806 fans packed the ground in Norfolk for a match ordered by the Football Association after a refereeing error in the original tie.

• Mulbarton Wanderers beat Woodford Town 2-0 in the FA Cup replay.
• The replay was ordered by the FA after a referee incorrectly applied the laws of the game in the first match.
• A record crowd of 806 spectators attended the fixture in Norfolk.
• The win brings £3,375 in prize money and a home tie against Gloucester City.
• Woodford Town still collect £1,125 from the FA Cup prize fund despite losing.

A village club under the spotlight in Norfolk

The match between Mulbarton Wanderers and Woodford Town turned into a major event for a village club. With attention building around the tie, Mulbarton introduced advance ticketing because of unprecedented demand. The interest was no surprise: the FA had made the rare call to order a replay and move it to Norfolk.

It all started with a game Wanderers won 2-1, one that made international headlines for the circumstances surrounding its finish. Woodford Town, a London club that plays a division below Mulbarton, lodged an appeal after arguing that the laws of the game had not been applied correctly.

The disallowed penalty that changed the tie

The key moment arrived with the score still 0-0 in the first half. Woodford Town were given a penalty but the referee disallowed it after their own players encroached into the penalty area. Play restarted with a free-kick to Mulbarton Wanderers, rather than Woodford being allowed to retake the spot-kick.

The Football Association considered that interpretation a mistake and decided the game should be replayed. It left Mulbarton in an awkward position: the team had already won the initial meeting and now had to play again to preserve their place in the next round.

Mulbarton managers on the frustration of playing again

There's all the emotions, you ask questions and you're frustrated. Then you ask can we appeal this and you're told you can't. Whether we agree or disagree, we are where we are and we've just got to prepare for it.

Danny Self, one of the Mulbarton Wanderers managers, made his feelings clear before the replay. His side went into the match with no way of appealing a decision they disagreed with, but accepted they had to compete again to keep their place in the FA Cup.

Former Premier League referee speaks up for the match official

Dan Robathan, a retired Premier League and FIFA referee, defended the official who handled the original game. He explained that referees are often wrongly assumed not to care about their mistakes, when in reality an error of that kind hits hard personally and can affect a match.

There's a misconception that when we make a decision, that we don't care which is so far from the truth. It hits you quite personally and you don't want to have a negative effect on a game. But you're trying to process all that at once and I can only assume he's got confused with the law in that moment.

What Mulbarton Wanderers are playing for against Gloucester City

The 2-0 win earned Mulbarton Wanderers £3,375 from the FA Cup prize fund and a place in the third qualifying round against Gloucester City. That tie is scheduled for the weekend of Saturday 3 October, with Mulbarton playing at home.

Gloucester City play in the Southern League Premier Division South, one step above Mulbarton in the non-league pyramid. The winner of the tie will earn £5,625 and the loser £1,875. Despite losing the replay, Woodford Town also take £1,125 from the prize fund.

Mulbarton Wanderers, based around six miles south of Norwich, have climbed through local leagues in recent years and are competing at step four of the non-league pyramid for the first time this season.

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