Helsby were largely outplayed by their Cheshire League visitors Club AZ in the first half of this Cheshire Amateur Cup tie. A mixture of last ditch defending, sloppy finishing and some smart saves from keeper Andy Stringer just about kept AZ at bay, but it was only a matter of time before the Macc outfit took the lead. Sure enough, this happened on the half hour when AZ's burly striker found the roof of the net with a near post header from a corner. Helsby could offer nothing much in riposte, and went off at the break to face a good old fashioned rollicking.

This, combined with a couple of changes early in the second period, seemed to re-energise the home side and Helsby gradually got on top. With 20 minutes remaining the Green Machine drew level, Gary Lunt claiming to have headed in Sam Bailey's inswinging free kick. With the tide in their favour, Helsby tried manfully to notch a decisive winner inside normal time, but the visitors battled their way through and another 30 minutes was added.

10 minutes into ET, Bailey, who had been an inspiration all afternoon, got the run of the ball on the edge of the box and finished expertly with a low drive just inside the post. With AZ seeming to have shot their bolt, Helsby went in for the kill and sealed the tie with 5 minutes left, John McDonald breaking the offside trap to finish coolly.

Helsby's reward is a third round visit to district rivals Runcorn Town.