The sheer romance of the FA Cup was rekindled on Saturday when a tiny Sussex team took on the might of professional outfit Oxford United and earned a famous draw.

Glamour is not normally a word which trips off the lips of Eastbourne Borough FC supporters.

But Saturday saw wonderful scenes of celebration at the club's tiny Priory Lane ground.

The Borough minnows earned a 1-1 draw and a reply against full-time big fish Oxford United.

Few fans had fingernails left as Ollie Rowland levelled with a twice-taken penalty in the 88th minute.

As the ball flew into the net for the second time, after the first effort was ruled out for an infringement, Ollie diappeared under a pile of players as the crowd went wild.

He boasted the perfect first name - the club's mascot is an owl, who hooted for joy at the final whistle.

The first-round thrills and spills - and the unforgettable finale - were captured by BBC TV cameras perched on precarious scaffold platforms above the stands.

Borough had never seen soccer scenes like it and, if they beat Oxford in the replay later this month, they will be just one match away from a glamour tie against a Premiership side.

The club's treasurer must already be laughing all the way to the bank at the prospect of a replay, let alone the possibility of meeting the likes of Chelsea or Manchester United.

For Saturday's tie was worth an estimated £28,000 in gate receipts and TV rights.

Almost 3,800 fans flocked to Priory Lane for the match, the biggest in the history of Borough, a club only founded in 1966.

Just five years ago the team was playing in the Sussex County League.

Their progress to the Conference League South and FA Cup glory has been meteoric.

On Saturday, the players ran on to the pitch accompanied by the strains of a brass band comprising loyal supporters in red and black shirts and wigs.

When Oxford's Steve Basham struck 20 minutes from time, it seemed the dream was over.

But as the first supporters headed for the exits, Ollie stepped up and equalised from the spot.

David Bauckham, who runs Borough's web site, said: "That penalty was the perfect way to end the game, particularly as we were the total underdogs. This was the biggest match in the club's history. We've never been this far before.

"We keep progressing even though no one is injecting huge amounts of money into the club.

"There's no sugar daddy but that game was really important for the club in financial terms. Hopefully, some of these extra fans will come to more games."

Les Baker, vice-chairman of Eastbourne Borough Supporters' Club, said: "It has been a wonderful day, and proves that even a club of our size can stage a big game like this."

Many of the supporters, inspired by the pre-match hype, had never visited Priory Lane before.

Barrister Adrian Turner, 52, at the game with his son and sister, said he considered it his duty to watch Borough even though he had never been to any of their previous games.

Mr Turner, from Old Town, said: "I'm here because it's the first time Eastbourne has got this far.

I've lived here 50 years and I thought it was about time I saw the team.

"It's a moment of history for the town."

Architect Peter Shoesmith, 38, a season ticket holder from Willingdon, said: "The result was a terrific achievement for the club and there was euphoria after the match.

"It's very emotional supporting your local side.

"There was a lot of atmosphere and trauma in the last five minutes but everyone supporting Eastbourne left with a smile on their face."

His friend Paul Nunney, 37, a theatre manager, also from Willingon, said: "I'm in utter disbelief.

"You watch Match Of The Day every year and the FA Cup, so this is a dream come true.

"Once you get the bug for winning, you want to win more and more and there is no reason why we can't."

Tony Scarse, 65, from Hailsham, at the match with his wife Eileen, said: "We've been coming to Borough games since 1999 because it's such a friendly, lovely crowd. We really love it here."

Betting shop manager Duncan Lambert, 38, from Seaford, loves watching Borough so much he proposed to his fiance Zoe Clarke on the Priory Lane pitch in December during the team's game against Grays Athletic.

He said: "Eastbourne Borough is a big story for Sussex.

"I've been a fan for a couple of years ever since moving into the area.

"I chose the stadium to propose to my girlfriend because I wanted it to be a day neither of us would forget."

Barry Coley, 56, treasurer of Borough until earlier this year, said: "To get to this stage of the FA Cup is brilliant.

"Now I'd like to see a lot more supporters coming through the turnstiles on Saturdays."