York deliver knockout punch to poor Reading

With the football grail of a possible third-round FA Cup tie at Old Trafford, Highbury or Anfield concentrating the minds of the lower-division sides, there were second-round giant-killing triumphs for Third Division Mansfield Town, Scunthorpe United and York City and a second chance for Southend United, at home, and bottom-of-the-League Halifax Town, away. And the Conference's second-placed side, Dagenham & Redbridge, are in today's draw too after a 0-0 draw at Exeter.

The biggest surprise came at Bootham Crescent where York, at present separated from the Conference by just four clubs, beat Second Division promotion hopefuls Reading 2-0. Mike Richardson produced the first shock when he gave the home side a fourth-minute lead. Graham Potter made it 2-0 four minutes before the break. Thereafter it was nail-biting time.

With goals from Martin Carruthers and Alex Calvo-Garcia, Scunthorpe United, seventh in the Third, swept into a two-goal lead over visitors Brentford, who are third in the Second. The Bees were level shortly after half-time but Carruthers' second of the match, with 17 minutes left, made it 3-2 to give the underdogs a famous win.

Second in the Third Division and beaten only once at home in the League this season, Mansfield Town were always likely to be tricky hosts, and so it transpired for Huddersfield Town. The sought-after striker Chris Greenacre scored a hat-trick as Mansfield won 4-0.

Stoke City, Second Division promotion-seekers, were forced to schedule an extra match at the Britannia Stadium. Leading 1-0 at Halifax after Andrew Cooke's goal midway through the first half, they conceded an equaliser with five minutes left when Paul Harsley netted.

At Second Division Chesterfield, Southend looked to have secured passage to the third round when Tesfaye Bramble gave them a late lead, but the Third Division side were thwarted as Luke Beckett's 89th-minute strike forced a Roots Hall replay.

The non-League challenge fell by the wayside at Altrincham, third in the UniBond Premier, and Hinckley United of the Dr Martens Premier. Altrincham lost 2-1 to Darlington of the Nationwide Third Division at Moss Lane. Daniel Chillingworth put the Quakers ahead midway through the first half, but they failed to press home the advantage and in the second half a Mark Maddox header put the non-Leaguers level. Darlington quickly replied through Neil Wainwright to go through. Hinckley lost 2-0 to Third Division Cheltenham Town, Tony Naylor and Julian Alsop scoring in the first five minutes of each half.

Elsewhere, recent Cup-fighting pedigree told, and no more so than at Prenton Park, where Tranmere Rovers thrashed Carlisle United 6-1, Jason Koumas scoring a first-half hat-trick. Last season's giant-killers, Wycombe Wanderers, beat Notts County 3-0.