CHORLEY suffered FA Cup heartbreak at the hands of Roses rivals Fleetwood as Jack Sowerby’s late strike sent the Magpies out.

Blackburn-born Marcus Carver looked like he was going to etch his name into Chorley history when he handed Matt Jansen’s men the lead, with Fleetwood then reduced to 10-men when Lewie Coyle was sent-off for a reckless lunge.

Chorley had been cup kings in the late 1980s, regularly bloodying the noses of higher ranked teams. Since those glory days they’ve had to wait 27 years for a 10th appearance in the first round proper, but for a crowd of more than 3,500 packed into Victory Park it looked like it was going to be worth that wait.

But there is a gap of 71 places between these two sides in the football pyramid and the Cod Army eventually showed their League One pedigree, with Devante Cole heading in an equaliser 13 minutes from time.

And just as it looked like we were heading for a Highbury replay substitute Sowerby struck a winner in added time.

If it was Chorley’s plan to make this a physical contest then it seemed one Fleetwood were happy to go along with, and the first quarter was littered with crunching challenges with no quarter given.

The competitiveness was certainly keeping the artistry in check, which perhaps suited the National League North ouftit and it was the Magpies who had the first sight of goal midway through the half, with Josh Wilson exchanging passes with Josh O’Keefe before driving a low shot well wide from 25 yards.

Matt Jansen’s side were beginning to take a grip of the game and Alex Carins had to be alert to hold on to Adam Blakeman’s in-swinging free-kick, which had missed everyone in the box.

Fleetwood could only improve for the break and they did just that, with Ashley Hunter finally forcing 19-year-old Oliver Byrne, making the first senior appearance of his career in Chorley’s goal, into a save as he pushed away a low 20-yard curler.

Moments later Aiden O’Neill wasted a fine chance to put the visitors ahead, firing over when granted space inside the area.

But Fleetwood’s improvement meant nothing when Chorley took the lead just before the hour. Ashley Eastham’s clearance hit teammate Nathan Pond, with the ball landing at Jason Walker’s feet and he played Carver in, with the former Stanley man finishing calmly from 12 yards.

It looked like Carver was going to be the hero, especially when Coyle’s two-footed lunge on Jake Cottrell got the red card it deserved.

But the numerical advantage didn’t stop the visitors levelling, with Cole looping a header into the corner of the net from Wes Burns’ right-wing cross.

And in the dying seconds Sowerby took advantage of confusion in the Chorley ranks as Byrne and Adam Blakeman got their wires crossed, the striker nipping in to send the Cod Army through.

Chorley: Byrne, Teague, Leather, Jordan, Challoner, O’Keefe, Wilson, Cottrell, Blakeman, Carver (Darr 88), Walker. Subs not used: Charnock, Beesley, Jarvis, Azam, Anson, Black

Fleetwood: Cairns, Coyle, Eastham, Pond (Hiwula 61), Bell, O’Neill (Burns 64), Dempsey, Bolger, Glendon, Hunter (Sowerby 82), Cole

Subs not used: Neal, Rodgers, Schwabl, Biggins