A resounding six-goal victory; more than 1,000 fans through the turnstiles; a place in the FA Cup first round for the first time in 42 years and a trip to a Nationwide League Second Division side.

As days go, Saturday wasn't bad for Shildon.

Furthermore, the next stop on the Railwaymen's whistlestop Cup run takes them to arguably the home of football - Notts County.

A founding member of the Football League and, most notably, the world's oldest club versus Shildon, members of the world's second oldest league. Some say the romance of the Cup is dead. Not a chance.

Until Saturday Shildon hadn't made it to the fourth qualifying round since 1961, when they went on to the first round, so the people of Shildon and the surrounding area - some Darlington fans gave their home match a miss to lend their support - turned out in force.

Sheffield-based Stocksbridge Park Steels provided the opposition and 1,046 turned up for the occasion - 808 more than for the previous week's relatively humdrum FA Vase tie with Garforth Town.

And the vast majority of those supporters went home happy, although probably not as happy as chairman, Gordon Hampton and manager, Ray Gowan - the driving force behind the club.

Gowan has been with the club for more than ten years and says Saturday was the pinnacle of his career in the game.

"This is my proudest moment with the club, by a mile," said Gowan who had put money on a 2-0 win.

"I've been here 11 years but even including the two clubs I was with previously, this is the best day in football I have ever had.

"It's great day for myself, the club and everybody connected with Shildon.

"A Football League team is exactly what we wanted and the fact it's Notts County is just superb.

"They're having a very hard time at the moment so who knows, we might just go there and do something special."

Make no mistake, Shildon were tremendous and deserve every penny of the £10,000 that Saturday's win gives them. After coming unscathed through five qualifying round ties, the cup run has, so far, made the Railwaymen a tidy £22,000 - accounting for 70 per cent of the club's wage bill - and a trip to Meadow Lane will be another boost to club's coffers.

But although the money is welcome at Dean Street, the Cup run is a source of tremendous pride for players, officials, supporters and the whole town.

Hampton said: "These are exciting times, this is the culmination of two and a half years of very hard work, and not an inconsiderable amount of investment."

The first 45 minutes resembled two sparring partners looking for an opening, although neither landed a clean blow with Stocksbridge failing to trouble the home goal while Shildon's Danny Key, a driving force in midfield, fired straight at the keeper and Graham Liddle headed from a good position.

But two minutes before the break, from just outside the penalty area, full-back Lee Hainsworth put Gowan's men in front.

With a strong wind at Shildon's back in the second half to come, he used the outside of his right boot to power a volley which flew past the keeper for a fantastic strike.

Five minutes into the second half Shildon doubled the advantage when former Darlington strikers, Garry Barnes and Lee Ellison, combined with the latter playing a weighted pass through to the former who finished sublimely, shooting across the keeper into the far corner.

From that point the visitors seemed to lose heart so it was inevitable the goals would flow, especially with Ellison providing the perfect foil for Barnes, known as Garry Williamson during his time as at Darlington, who was in rampant form.

The pair accounted for five of Shildon's goals, the third of the afternoon being a neat finish as Barnes hit a left-footed shot across goal inside the far post. The fourth, Barnes' hat-trick goal, followed a cross from the left which Barnes met with his left foot to give the 'keeper no chance.

Then Ellison, not wanting his younger strike-partner to get all the glory, took his chance to shine. First he found acres of space to run into the box where Nigel Bolton found him with a right-wing cross that Ellison volleyed home from close-range, and then he rounded off the scoring with a rare header.

In truth, had the second half lasted much longer the home side could have hit double-figures as Shildon fought between themselves to get on the scoresheet. Late on a Barnes goal was harshly ruled out for a push on former Hartlepool full-back, Darren Knowles. Nevertheless, nobody in Shildon's distinctive all-purple colours were complaining.

The fans' chants of "guess who's going to Cardiff!" were sung in jest, but with Shildon in this kind of form - they've lost just one of 21 matches this season - don't rule out a giant-killing act at Meadow Lane on November 8.

Up for the Cup? You'd better believe it!

Result: Shildon 6, Stocksbridge Park Steels 0.