Hucknall Town (5) 3-2 (3) Bishop's Stortford
Burton Albion (0) 0-2 (7) Grays Athletic 
The FA Trophy in partnership with Carlsberg
Semi-Finals, Second-Leg
3.00pm, 09 April 2005
£16,000 to each winning club

While Denis Oli’s second minute goal at Burton confirmed Grays Athletic’s date with destiny, Hucknall Town needed a compelling blend of passion, commitment and enthusiasm to bundle them through to the final of The FA Trophy, in partnership with Carlsberg, at Watnall Road on Saturday.

With five minutes remaining of an epic blood-and-thunder tie, either side could still have snatched a place in the final.

Time was running down and a record 1871 crowd had hearts in mouths as twice in two minutes Bishops Stortford front-man Steve Morison agonisingly flashed free headers past a post. Nerves were clearly jangling as Bishop’s, who had recovered a 2-0 deficit, were threatening to put the tie into extra time.

Then somehow, Hucknall found the energy to clinch it. With Bishop’s scrambling desperately to clear a corner forced by the tireless running of man-of-the-tie Danny Bacon, the ball fell invitingly for skipper Chris Timons and his shot was adjudged to have crossed the line.

It was, ultimately, no less than the Nottinghamshire side deserved. They have been a revelation throughout this competition – beating two National Conference sides and three teams with infinitely better records in the Conference North and South. They also came into this match with confidence high and just one defeat in 14 games.

"It’s the spirit that’s got us there," said an emotional player-manager Dean Barrick in the post-match melee.

"We’re a family, and everyone pulls their weight. We’d put out a few good teams in this competition and no one has deserved this more than my players. It’s a wonderful, wonderful moment – and I hope it puts us on the map."

Barrick, nose battered from an early clash of heads admitted he had great sympathy for Bishop’s Stortford, who had contributed so much to an epic contest.

"They were very professional and never gave up – even when they went 4-1 down on aggregate. There was very little between the two teams over the two legs but we just managed to edge it."

Bishop’s Stortford were marginally the better side in the early exchanges played out on a bumpy pitch in an icy and gusting wind.

Their skipper Dave Rainford signalled early intent when he went on a thrusting 30 yard run but shot tamely. Then soon after Morison fed Richard Howell but he scuffed his snap shot.

Hucknall may have been rattled by the early injury to Barrick who spent an age desperately attempting to stem a nosebleed on the sidelines.

"I thought it wasn’t going to stop and I was going to have to get someone else on," he admitted.

But his return was the signal for Hucknall’s opener as Andy Todd won possession in midfield and fed Bacon whose angled run and rising left foot shot were too much for keeper Andrew Young.

With Gary Ricketts always a threat in the air and Bacon’s pace a constant thorn in the side, Hucknall settled, and on the half hour they went two goals to the good.

Ben Lewis sent Bacon tumbling in the box and Roy Hunter nonchalantly converted the spot kick.

Back came Bishop’s, urged on by Rainford, and in the 35th minute they got their reward, Duane Jackman heading home from a Richard Howell corner.

With Howell, Steve Parmenter and Tim Langer gaining influence in midfield, Bishop’s dominated for a period either side of half-time without creating the chances that Bacon, Ricketts and Todd always threatened on the break.

And the equaliser, when it came, was a bizarre double mix-up when first Timons failed to cut out Parmenter’s speculative through ball and then keeper Greg Smith, distracted by the advancing Jackman let the ball through his legs and the striker had a simple tap-in.

It wasn't to be Bishop Stortford's day however, and Hucknall Town will now face Grays Athletic, who stormed into the final with an emphatic 7-0 aggregate victory over Conference strugglers, Burton Albion.

Carlsberg man-of-the-tie Dennis Oli and the club’s top scorer Leroy Griffiths, put the gloss on an outstanding performance over two legs.

Oli, the 20-year-old former Cambridge United midfielder, has been pushed up front more than once in recent weeks and his athleticism, exquisite touch and lightening speed have served his side well.

A struggling Burton were restricted to half chances throughout the game and very rarely troubled the Grays defence.

In fact it was Brewers defender Terry Henshaw who got the biggest cheer of the afternoon from the Burton fans. He was brought on three minutes from full time in his first appearance since breaking his leg in three places last August.

The final whistle prompted jubilant celebrations from the Grays supporters and a broad smile from Manager Mark Stimson.

"We’re ecstatic – we came here with a great cushion and a 5-0 lead from the first leg, but I told the boys I wanted a result. To win 2-0 was fantastic.

"When we scored the early goal, you just knew that there was no way back for Burton and it was just a matter of playing the game out.

"Fair play to them, they did put us under a bit of pressure in the first half, they had a couple of chances, but we’ve got some genuine pace in the team, some good young players. We were always confident."