UNITED gave their unbeaten opponents a two-goal lead before a stirring fight-back had Fleetwood on the ropes, but the home side failed to find the vital knockout blows.

Ramsbottom's dream of a second successive FA Cup run started brightly when Brendan O'Shaughnessy threaded a delicate pass through to Chris Barlow, whose shot was blocked at the expense of a corner.

Big defender Neil Wallace got in a strong header from the flag kick but the ball flew a yard over.

In the opening 30 minutes there was nothing to choose between the two sides as play moved from end to end, although neither goalkeeper had any serious problems.

The Rams looked to be shading a close contest against their unbeaten visitors when Andy Maines struck a fierce 20 yard shot that Rams keeper Mike Kelly had covered as he dived to his left, but a wicked deflection off Warren Brierley left him helpless and Fleetwood had the breakthrough. The goal came on 37 minutes and although Ramsbottom applied some serious pressure, with David Yorke-Robinson and Steve Brennan going close, the visitors hung on to their fortuitous lead until half time.

Within two minutes of the restart Freeport went two up, substitute Paul Ludlow picked the ball up just inside his own half and was allowed to make a 50 yard run completely unchallenged before beating Kelly with a low shot into the bottom corner.

To their credit Ramsbottom put this appalling error behind them and took the game by the scruff of the neck and deservedly pulled a goal back on 65 minutes. Yorke-Robinson and Brennan combined on the right before Yorke-Robinson whipped in a left footed cross to the near post and the hard-working Andy Clarke placing a downward header into the Freeport net.

In the final 20 minutes it was all Ramsbottom as they searched for a deserved equaliser and Barton in the Fleetwood goal, made two fingertip saves from Yorke-Robinson.

A string of successive corners saw some desperate defending by Fleetwood, and in the final minute, defender Dave Roach hit a thundering drive from the edge of the box that flew through a crowded penalty area, only to finish a foot wide of the upright.

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