THERE was some Emirates FA Cup joy for Barnoldswick Town as they beat AFC Darwen 4-2 in the extra preliminary round of the tournament.

Zack Dale was relentless all evening and bagged a brace in his team's convincing victory.

Town dominated the first half. Dale was their main threat, firing over from a corner and shooting narrowly wide.

The visitors took the lead on the 36th minute when Ash Brierley's cross was finished nicely by Gareth Hill.

Darwen thought they had equalised before the break but Brierley got back to produce an excellent goalline clearance.

The away side started the second period like they did the first, on the front foot. They were rewarded for their pressure by doubling their lead. Joe Noblet latching on to a rebounded effort.

There were a flurry of goals later in the match. Firstly, the hosts responded well to half the deficit before Dale gave Barnoldswick their two goal advantage back.

The North West Counties Division One North side immediately hit back though. Dale would complete his double with only five minutes to go.

Darwen were reduced to 10 before the final whistle as Ben Langford was given his marching orders.

Endrit Shehu's men will now march on into the preliminary round round of England's most prestigious knockout competition against Marine on September 12.