Bishop's Stortford 4 Chelmsford City 3
(FA Trophy, third qualifying round)
BISHOP'S Stortford returned to winning ways, but only just, after Chelmsford City fought back in a thrilling finale to their FA Trophy derby clash.
It was Rod Stringer's men who walked away with the £4,000 pot of prize money and a place in the next round after a pulsating seven-goal affair.
The Blues looked up for it from the start and deservedly took the lead on 19 minutes with a Ryan Auger half-volley.
They doubled their lead six minutes before the break when a long throw-in by Johnny Herd was flicked on and bounced in off City midfielder Christian Smith as he was challenged by Auger.
It was 3-0 on 56 minutes when Sheldon Sellears capped a superb slaloming run with a curling shot past the goalkeeper.
A fantastic volley from Auger made it four, before Michael Cheek struck one back from close range and City substitute Jason Williams netted another with 10 minutes to go.
Then things really hotted up when another Clarets substitute, Yado Mambo, fired home after a penalty box scramble.
For Stortford, new signing Cheye Alexander had come straight into the side at right-back, with Ashley Miller on the bench. Club captain Anthony Church was also back on the bench following his lengthy injury lay-off.
For the Clarets, Marvin Ekpiteta, Rohdell Gordon and Cheek came into the side for Mambo, Williams and the cup-tied John Sands.
City entered the match with confidence after fighting back to beat Bath City the previous weekend, while the Blues were keen to shake off the after-effects of losing at bottom side Staines Town on the same day.
Clarets goalkeeper Bradley Watkins showed remarkable confidence early on, despite last week's gaffe against Bath which saw him carry the ball over his own goal line, as he dribbled around Simmonds on the edge of his own box.
Simmonds could have got his own back moments later when he found space after Mikel Suarez's clever lofted pass, but the striker slipped at the vital moment and scuffed his shot wide.
The opening goal came on 19 minutes. After a foul on Frankie Merrifield, Spencer McCall whipped a free-kick into the box and Suarez's looping header bounced down off the crossbar to Auger, who smashed it home on the half-volley into the top left corner.
It was all Stortford as Suarez ran through on 27 minutes, but was denied by the onrushing Watkins.
Then the big striker, who was winning everything in the air, sent a header just off target from another McCall free-kick after a foul on Sheldon Sellears, which saw Lee Sawyer booked.
Sawyer was probably lucky to stay on the pitch on 39 minutes, booting the ball away after running it out of play near the dugouts. The fact that the Clarets coaching staff caught the ball effectively ensured he only got a talking to from the referee Christopher Pollard rather than a second yellow card.
The second goal came on 39 minutes. Herd's Rory Delap-esque throw was headed on in the box and the ball rolled in off the unfortunate Smith.
The visitors almost got straight back into the game a minute later with their best chances of the half coming within a split-second of each other. First, David Gregory pulled off a flying save from Michael Cheek's first-time shot and then Mark Hughes' follow-up shot was blocked by a covering defender.
Clarets boss Mark Hawkes had seen enough and sent on Williams and Leon Redwood for Gordon and Smith for the second half.
Simmonds struck a low shot just past the left-hand post moments in, before Mark Hughes headed inches over from a corner at the other end.
On 53 minutes, McCall's corner was nodded into the arms of Watkins by Simmonds.
Sellears then took his moment to shine 11 minutes into the half, jinking past a series of players before curling a right-footed shot into the bottom right corner of the City net.
Gregory came out to block Redwood four minutes later, with the Chelmsford players appealing for a penalty as they felt he had taken the man before the ball, but the men in black were unmoved.
A driving run by Joe Ward culminated in a blocked shot before the hosts pulled further ahead on 68 minutes.
Simmonds broke down the right and pinged a low cross into the centre which Auger caught perfectly on the volley and sent flying into the middle of the City goal, with Watkins grasping at thin air.
The visitors pulled one back two minutes later as the Blues' defence dithered and after a blocked Williams shot the ball rebounded for Michael Cheek to slot home via a deflection.
City hit another back on 80 minutes as a ball over the top found Williams, with the Stortford defence waiting for an offside flag that never came, and the little striker controlled the ball with his chest and slotted home.
Auger had a couple of chances to complete his hat-trick, but was denied on each occasion by Watkins.
Then Mambo popped up in the 90th minute to set up four minutes of frantic added time but it was Stortford who held on.
BISHOP'S STORTFORD: Gregory, Alexander, Herd, Merrifield, Bailey-Dennis, Anderson, Sellears (Melaugh 86), McCall, Suarez (Sykes 71), Simmonds (Young 69), Auger. Subs not used: Miller, Church.
CHELMSFORD CITY: Watkins, Girdlestone, Nicolau, Hughes, Haines, Ekpiteta (Mambo 82), Sawyer, Ward, Gordon (Williams 45), Cheek, Smith (Redwood 45). Subs not used: Love, Freund. Att: 522.
