The Pitmen slipped to their second defeat of the season this evening, as Buxton knocked Rob Smith's side out of the F.A. Cup at the third qualifying stage after a long-winded and bad-tempered replay at Silverlands

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Smith was forced into one change to the side that had conceded a two-goal lead to the Bucks in Saturday's first game, with John Disney unavailable after a family bereavement. Youngster Ben Watkis, a former Chesterfield youth team player who joined the U-21 side in the summer, was promoted to the side to play in a patch-up defence that was still missing left-back Darren Campion. Jamey Osborne's three-match ban came to an end at the weekend, with the midfielder coming back into the side in place of Alex Melbourne

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Both sides looked fairly well matched in the original tie at Keys Park, with the first half of this match a continuation of the chess game between the two sides. Nathan Woolfe looked the most likely to break the deadlock in the first fifteen minutes, floating a free-kick dangerously towards the far post but saw Steve Istead clear away. On sixteen minutes, Woolfe picked up the ball in midfield and fired high over the bar from fully twenty-five yards

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The disjointed nature of the game saw Dave MacPherson and Elliott Durrell both earn a booking for marginal decisions, with Ben Bailey following them into the book soon after. Buxton also saw two players booked during the first half

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The best chance of the first quarter of the game fell to Bailey on twenty-two minutes, as he darted in to meet Neil Harvey's flick header, but headed narrowly wide of goal

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Buxton responded with Kevin Sandwith sending over a dangerous corner that evaded Lee Morris by a matter of inches - even the faintest of touches would have resulted in a certain goal for the striker

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 Chances seemed to be limited to set-pieces in the first period, as the Pitmen went close on thirty-three minutes from a Woolfe corner, with the winger watching his cross as it was headed wide at the far post by Francino Francis

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Another Woolfe set-piece followed, with Harvey getting in front of his marker to head Woolfe's deep free-kick straight at Ian Deakin in the Buxton goal

As half time loomed, Morris was presented with a glorious chance to open the evening's scoring, as Neil Stevens played the ball across the face of goal to Morris. However, Morris got it all wrong and rather than beat Crane with a low shot, scuffed his shot over the bar from close range

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Hednesford made a better fist of things in the early stages of the second half, with Aaron Rey testing Deakin's reflexes with a bobbled shot in the first attack of the half

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Deakin came to Buxton's rescue again three minutes later, making a wonderful full length save to deny Osborne a fine goal from a free-kick

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Despite this bout of pressure, the Pitmen allowed Buxton back into the game and let the Bucks boss long periods of the second half. Dan Crane had been a virtual spectator up to this point, but the Hednesford keeper came into his own with a spell of breathtaking stops to deny the hosts a goal

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On fifty-eight minutes, a long throw from Marc Roberts was headed goalwards by Mark Reed, only to be denied by a stretching save from Crane. He followed this up seconds later with an equally brilliant stop to deny Reed again, this time blocking a volley from the striker

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Reed simply could not find a way past Crane in a crazy five-minute spell as the stopper again denied Reed on sixty-one minutes with a great low save to turn Reed's driven shot away from goal

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You got the feeling that it was simply delaying the inevitable, and with twenty minutes remaining, Reed grabbed the goal his efforts deserved. Morris drilled the ball in across the face of goal, allowing Reed the simple task of slotting the ball home at the far post

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However, the Pitmen were not ready to roll over and die and grabbed a lifeline four minutes later. Deakin again frustrated the Pitmen as he made a great stop to deny Durrell; the ball rolled to Rey, whose scuffed shot at goal fell nicely for the incoming MacPherson, who turned the ball home

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Looking to win the game inside ninety minutes, Hednesford brought Rey off in favour of Michael Lennon with twelve minutes to go. It almost worked - as Harvey played the prolific striker in on eighty-four minutes, but Deakin again read the situation brilliantly and made a crucial save to deny Lennon

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Both sides failed to muster up a meaningful chance in the last few minutes, with extra time the result. Buxton got off to the worst possible start to the extra thirty minutes when Istead was shown a second yellow card for a foul

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Sean O'Connor was introduced on 100 minutes to add more power and presence to the forward line, coming on in place of the tiring Harvey. Youngster Rico Taylor was also brought on in place of Watkis

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Despite the numerical advantage, the Pitmen struggled to make any headway in creating chances and went behind again towards the end of the first period of extra time. Deakin's long ball sent substitute Michael Towey away from the Hednesford defenders, with Crane mistiming his challenge and bringing Towey down just inside the area. Morris stepped up and confidently fired past Crane from the spot to give Buxton the lead once again

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Deakin capped a man of the match performance on 107 minutes, making the latest of a string of fine stops to deny Lennon a chance from close range. The extra man failed to assist Hednesford, as chances dried up with Buxton sitting deep and closing ranks

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On 116 minutes, O'Connor got on the end of Woolfe's free-kick but watched as his goalbound header was cleared off the line. At the other end, Sam Duncum broke swiftly but narrowly missed the head of Morris with his clipped cross. There was still time for Bailey to earn a second booking for a debatable foul, sending the young defender off with two minutes remaining

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And so, after 210 minutes of football, Buxton claimed their place in the next round, with a trip to Blue Square Bet North high-flyers Guiseley in the offing. The Pitmen return to league action with a home game against Ashton United this weekend, looking for a swift response to their cup exit

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Buxton: Deakin, Black ▆, Sandwith, Istead © ▆ ▆ (93), Haggerty (Duncum 91), Roberts, Stevens ▆, (Bradbury 40), Reed, Morris, Mayfield (Towey 60)       Sub Unused: Keane

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Hednesford Town: Crane, Watkis (Taylor 104), Barnes, Bailey ▆ ▆ (118),  MacPherson © ▆, Osborne, Durrell ▆, Harvey (O'Connor 100), Rey (Lennon 108), Woolfe     Subs Unused: Hornby, Recci

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