Harrogate Town's 2012 FA Cup run provided serious highs and some horrible lows

December 13, 2012 saw Simon Weaver's team - then of Conference North - beaten on penalties by the seventh-tier outfit, the lowest-ranked side left in the competition.

Conquerors of higher-division Torquay United in the previous round, a mouthwatering trip to Championship Middlesbrough was up for grabs, but Town were unable to make history down on the Sussex coast.

Having never made it as far as the competition's third round - a record which stood until as recently as last year - they lost 5-4 on penalties following a 1-1 draw at the Pilot Field.

Beesley, started that game, and the 1-1 draw in North Yorkshire which preceded it and says he remembers both matches in vivid detail.

"I cannot believe it has been 10 years since those games against Hastings," he told the Harrogate Advertiser.

"When I think back, as a non-league footballer, the FA Cup was a competition that I used to always really look forward to playing in. I used to love scoring an FA Cup goal and I got five in that run.

"And the draw for the third round is the greatest memory of my career. Sky Sports came to the ground, they invited us down, club officials and some of the supporters, and filmed our reaction. It was so exciting waiting to find out who we were playing with all the biggest teams in England coming in at that stage.

"For me, as a Manchester City season ticket-holder, the possibility of drawing them away and going to play there was unbelievable. It felt surreal and I was so buzzing at the prospect that I couldn't even sleep."

Harrogate's FA Cup journey that season started away at West Auckland Town at the second qualifying round stage. They needed a replay, but eventually progressed courtesy of a 5-1 win on home soil, then went on to beat Frickley Athletic 3-2.

The fourth qualifying round draw pitted them against Hyde United, who they edged out following another replay, setting up a first-round proper trip to League Two Torquay United, where Chib Chilaka netted after 20 minutes to seal a real upset.

"Our run that season started off with us having an absolute stinker away at Bishop Auckland," Beesley added.

"I didn't play but I think we drew 2-2 and managed to earn a replay, then put five past them at home. Then in the third qualifying round we played Hyde, who were in the division above - the Conference - and got battered but managed to nick a draw.

"The replay had to be played at Harrogate Railway because we had problems with the drainage at our place, but Dan Clayton nicked a goal late in extra-time and we went through and ended up beating Torquay, who were flying in League Two.

"Obviously we were underdogs in those games, particularly against Torquay, but then we went to being the favourites against Hastings who were the lowest-ranked team left and I don't know if that suited us.

"There was no arrogance or cockiness. We just didn't really get our heads around it."

Tom Platt's first-half goal left Town with one foot in the third round, but Beesley and his team-mates failed to capitalise on a dominant first-half display at Wetherby Road and were eventually pegged back by a Hastings team who grew in confidence as the second half progressed.

"I scored a perfectly good goal after about two minutes but the referee disallowed it and gave a free-kick to their keeper," recalled Beesley, who now manages Ripon City in the West Yorkshire League and runs local firms Rocket Removals and Boss Van Hire.

"Then I got played through one-on-one and as I advanced on the goalkeeper the ball bobbled up and I took a heavy touch.

"It's not an excuse really, I should have scored and we should have been out of sight by half-time. We were well on top and Tom Platt did score, but Hastings came right back at us in the second half and in the end we found ourselves hanging on a bit after they equalised."

That 1-1 draw set up a trip to East Sussex where Town needed a last-gasp Platt goal to save them from defeat inside the regulation 90, taking the tie to extra-time and eventually penalties.

"The club couldn't have done any more for us in the build up to the replay," Beesley continued. "We went down a day early and trained down there, they paid for us to stay over and it was like being a proper professional footballer.

"When we were getting off the coach before the game, there were hundreds of fans waiting for us and giving us grief. Most of us lads hadn't really experienced anything like that before, but I was loving it, it got me going.

"That game itself was another great experience, live on TV with Chris Waddle commentating for ESPN, but if I'm being honest I don't think we deserved to go through.

"Penalties are always a lottery aren't they and I would have loved to step up and take one in the shoot-out but I had already been substituted. I struggled to play a full 90 minutes, I was never lasting the 120.

"It was really hard to watch the shoot-out and I remember Simon pacing up and down in front of the dug-out while they were being taken."

Dreams shattered, the aftermath wasn't a great deal of fun for Beesley and his team-mates.

"By the time we'd got back in and all the post-match interviews had been done it was gone 11pm before we were even on the coach," he added. "We didn't get back until 4 or 5am and it's a long journey, especially after a defeat when you're all down and depressed.

"I had a pillow and I just took it and got under a table and went to sleep. I went straight to bed when I got home and it was the next morning when I woke up that it really hit me.

"That feeling when I woke up, I'll never, ever forget it. The disappointment was huge, I was so gutted that we hadn't made it through. It was so hard to take, but I would definitely do it all again if I had the chance."