Plymouth Parkway 2-1 Berkhamsted: Neal Seals FA Cup History

Two controversial Rocky Neal penalties completed a famous comeback at Bolitho Park on Monday night, as seventh-tier Plymouth Parkway beat fellow seventh-tier side Berkhamsted 2-1 after extra time to reach the FA Cup second round for the first time in the club's history.

It was the last first-round tie to be settled, and it saved its drama for the very end. Luke Andrews put Berkhamsted ahead two minutes after half-time, Neal levelled from the spot on 73 minutes, and with the tie locked at 1-1 after 90 minutes, the Parkway talisman struck again from 12 yards in extra time — his 15th goal of the season — to set up a second-round home tie with League Two Barnet.

Two Penalties, Two Protests

Parkway had the better of a cagey first half, Reece Thomson firing over on 16 minutes after a slick move, but Berkhamsted struck first. Andrews raced on to JJ Lacey's pass 90 seconds into the second half and fired his fourth goal of this cup run into the far corner, as TNT Sports reported from Bolitho Park.

The equaliser arrived in contentious fashion. Berkhamsted goalkeeper Hubert Graczyk came to punch a looping ball and was adjudged to have caught Neal in doing so — a decision the visitors fiercely disputed. Neal ignored the protests and blasted the penalty into the roof of the net on 73 minutes, according to the PA report of the tie.

Extra time brought a second flashpoint. Godlove Oppong was penalised for a shirt pull on Michael Williams, and Neal slammed home his second spot-kick in stoppage time at the end of the first extra period — the 105th minute — to spark wild celebrations among the home support.

A Draw Made Before the Tie Was Won

Unusually, Parkway already knew their prize before kick-off: the second-round draw had been made earlier on Monday evening, with the winners handed a home tie against Barnet on the weekend of December 5. The draw also paired seventh-tier Wimborne Town — who beat Crawley 2-0 in the first round's great upset — at home to League One Bradford City, while 2021 winners Leicester City must travel to non-league Dover Athletic.

It is the kind of night this competition still produces better than any other. Two Southern League Premier Division South clubs, separated from the Football League by four divisions, played out a tie that had a disputed penalty, extra time and a first-ever second-round place on the line — the same magic that carried Fleetwood into a famous cup run of their own this season.

So What Does It Mean?

For Karl Curtis and Parkway, the rewards are concrete as well as emotional: the winners of this tie pocket £47,750 in prize money, and a home game against League Two opposition in December brings another payday, another television audience and a genuine shot at the third round — where the Premier League and Championship clubs enter. Berkhamsted, who had already produced the biggest win in their own history by beating Kieran Dyer's Southend United in the previous round, leave with nothing but the argument that both penalties were soft.

Beyond the Final Whistle verdict: this is the FA Cup working exactly as it should. Neal will be remembered at Bolitho Park for decades — not for the prettiest goals of his career, but for holding his nerve twice when an entire club's history rested on his right foot. Berkhamsted can rage about the decisions, and they have a case on the first penalty in particular, but cups are not won on sympathy. Parkway are in the second round for the first time ever, and Barnet will not enjoy the trip one bit. Were both penalties the right calls — or did Parkway get lucky twice in one night?