Through the gloom and the teeming rain, Craig Dawson rose to meet Jarrod Bowen’s cross and break Stockport County’s resistance last night.
It had held until seven minutes from the end at a sodden Edgeley Park. It rained so hard that there were areas of the pitch where the ball would hardly roll through the surface water, and the players struggled to keep their feet.
The gap between Premier League and National League closed with every minute that the downpour refused to subside, and the prospect of extra time loomed large.
Craig Dawson's 83rd minute header saved West Ham from an FA Cup upset at Stockport
The Edgeley Park pitch fell-apart under lashing rain, creating a throwback slog on Monday
In these conditions, quite how someone managed to set light to the fireworks display that briefly disrupted this FA Cup third round tie is anyone’s guess.