NILE RANGER headed the extra-time winner as seventh-tier Kettering stunned League One Northampton to make the FA Cup second round.
Ranger, 33, once pocketed £10,000-a-week and says he could have been as good as Erling Haaland – but instead ended up unemployed after stints in jail.
He was handed a career lifeline by Southern League Premier Central side Kettering last month.
And he made an instant impact with a towering header to stun their more illustrious local rivals.
Cobblers star Connor Johnson had netted in the first-half own goal to hand Kettering the lead before Luca Miller levelled to send the game to extra time.
Thrilled Ranger said: “It’s special, especially where we’re coming from.
“Obviously our tier of football is quite low, so coming to Northampton, it’s a derby as well. Look what it means to the fans. It’s a lot.
“I’m trying to be humble. I’m getting old now.
“Obviously, I went down a level to show everyone I’m still hungry. It feels good for myself as well.”
Ranger rose highest to head home the winner in the 92nd minute at the Sixfields Stadium.
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He is not the only former Premier League star at Kettering with Gary Hooper and Marvin Sordell both also on the books.
The result was a huge scalp for Kettering and Northampton are four divisions higher than the Southern League Premier Division Central side.
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Gainsborough will be the lowest-ranked side in tonight’s FA Cup second-round draw after a penalty shoot-out victory following a 4-4 draw with eighth-tier Hesnesford.
The Northern Premier League strugglers recovered from 3-0 down to force extra-time with an added time leveller from Will Lancaster.
Seventh-tier Trinity fell behind again before levelling — then won 5-4 on penalties to reach the second round for the first time in 72 years.
Gainsborough boss Russ Wilcox said: “I’ve never been involved in anything like that. In the penalty shoot-out we had three chances to win it and three chances to lose it.”
And National League strugglers Wealdstone pulled off a shock by winning 1-0 at League Two Grimsby with Alex Reid’s 90th-minute strike.
The striker said: “The gaffer said show respect but believe in yourselves.”
Oldham overcame the one-division gap to League Two Tranmere to beat Rovers 2-1 at Prenton Park.
National League Dagenham also beat League Two opposition with Dion Pereira’s second-half penalty clinching a 1-0 win at Crewe.
Daggers boss Ben Strevens said: “It’s an amazing day for us. The scenes at the end are what we do it for.”
Seventh-tier Harborough are in the second round for the first time after a 4-1 win at National League South Tonbridge.
FA Cup first round results
Here are all of the results from the FA Cup first round…
- Notts County 5-1 Alfreton Town
- Tamworth 1-0 Huddersfield
- Tonbridge 1-4 Harborough Town
- Worthing 0-2 Morecambe
- Burton Albion 1-0 Scarborough Athletic
- Solihull Moors 3-0 Maidstone United
- Gillingham 0-2 Blackpool
- Reading 2-0 Fleetwood
- Newport County 2-4 Peterborough
- Barrow 0-1 Doncaster
- Woking 0-1 Cambridge United
- Stockport 2-1 Forest Green Rovers
- Bristol Rovers 3-1 Weston-super-Mare
- Rochdale 3-4 Bromley
- Walsall 2-1 Bolton
- Port Vale 1-3 Barnsley
- Exeter City 5-3 Barnet
- Swindon Town 2-1 Colchester
- Wycombe 3-2 York City
- Chesterfield 3-1 Horsham
- Southend 3-4 Charlton
- Maidenhead 1-2 Crawley Town
- Brackley Town 0(5)-(4)0 Braintree Town
- Crewe Alexandre 0-1 Dagenham and Redbridge
- Bradford City 3-1 Aldershot Town
- Carlisle 0-2 Wigan Athletic
- Tranmere 1-2 Oldham
- Stevenage 1(5)-(4)1 Guiseley
- Grimsby Town 0-1 Wealdstone
- Salford City 2-1 Shrewsbury
- Rotherham 1-3 Cheltenham
- Ruchall Olympic 0-2 Accrington Stanley
- Hednesford Town 4(4)-(5)4 Gainsborough Trinity
- Northampton Town 1-2 Kettering Town
Still to play
- MK Dons v AFC Wimbledon
- Sutton United v Birmingham City
- Curzon Ashton v Mansfield Town
- Boreham Wood v Leyton Orient
- Harrogate Town v Wrexham
- Chesham United v Lincoln City
Paul Malone gave the Southern League Premier Central side the lead before Ben Stephens (two) and Danny Forbes sealed it.
Northern Premier League Guiseley gave League One Stevenage a scare before finally going out on penalties.
Will Longbottom’s equaliser for the non league outfit made it 1-1 but keeper Murphy Cooper made two saves to help win the shoot-out 5-4.
Maidstone’s hopes of another memorable Cup run ended with a 3-0 defeat at Solihull Moors.
Josh Magennis scored a hat-trick for Exeter in the League One side’s 5-3 win over National League Barnet.
And National League North outfit Rushall Olympic finished with ten men with Luke Benbow sent off for two bookings as they were beaten 2-0 at home by League Two Accrington.
