The FA Cup third round. The phase where it all kicks-off properly in English Football’s biggest and most historic domestic competition.

The big boys have shown up now, but are joined by a fair few minnows still at this stage.

Plenty of potential upsets on the cards, the lowest ranked team in the competition were Stourbridge, their big day out was at Adams Park, where they travelled to play in-form Wycombe Wanderers in hope of a headline win.

Other than that, giant killings were a possibility at Portman Road, where National League leaders Lincoln City were away to Mick McCarthy’s Ipswich Town, and at Griffin Park, which saw Brentford host fellow non-league outfit Eastleigh.

The only other non-league sides in action were Sutton, who were at home to AFC Wimbledon, and Barrow who played Rochdale.

During a hectic third round fixture list, here is Shoot!’s Player, Team and Goal of the Round…

Player of the Round: Tom Lawrence (Ipswich Town)

There was a fair bit of hype around this lad when he broke onto the scene at Manchester United, and after a couple of loan spells at lower-league clubs Carlisle United and Yeovil Town, it was rather surprising when the Red Devils let him go and Leicester City snapped him up.

He has still only played three times for the Foxes and is now on his fourth loan spell away from the King Power Stadium. But you’d be a fool to think this lad couldn’t still make it at the very top of English football.

Ipswich had failed to win an FA Cup game since 2010, and that record was under threat of continuing at the hands of National League Lincoln. The second of Theo Robinson’s double at Portman Road left the Tractor Boys 2-1 down with just four minutes left, and in desperate need of a hero.

Lawrence had already cancelled out Robinson’s first strike earlier in the game. The Lincoln forward had given the travellers a dream start, sending 5,000 Lincoln fans into utter delirium after just seven minutes.

Lawrence was to equalise almost immediately, on twelve minutes. Pouncing on a loose ball in the midfield, he only had one thing in his mind. Nut-megging his first victim on the half-way line and driving through the middle of the pitch, leaving three Lincoln players in his wake, the attacking midfielder went on and into the box, beating just one more defender and firing low underneath the goalkeeper from just inside the area.

Robinson’s second came in the sixty-fifth minute and it looked like giving Lincoln the shock of the third round.

That was until 86 minutes, when Lawrence picked up the ball twenty-five yards from goal and took matters into his own hands. His driven shot found the bottom corner  to break Lincoln hearts, and saved Ipswich’s blushes…

For now, anyway, until the two meet again at Sincil Bank on Tuesday. Mick McCarthy’s men will be looking to avoid yet another early FA Cup exit. Let off for now, thanks to one man.

Team of the Round: Millwall

Lions boss Neil Harris.

Neil Harris would probably have been forgiven for paying a little less attention to the FA Cup, as his side face a tough battle from now until the end of the season to get back into the League One play-offs.

But clearly the temptation of a Premier League scalp was too much, as his Millwall side provided one of the shocks of the round to knock Eddie Howe’s weakened AFC Bournemouth side out of the Cup.

Howe had made eleven changes to the side that blew a three-goal lead at home to Arsenal just four days before, and his ‘second eleven’ came up well short at The Den.

On another day, Millwall would have been punished for some considerably under-par finishing from their usually dynamic duo, Steve Morison and Lee Gregory. Only Morison will be able to tell you how he failed to slip the ball into the empty net following a defensive mix-up, but the Millwall faithful were quick to forgive as it was Morison who headed the Lions in front twenty-six minutes in.

Gregory was next up to miss a golden chance for the home side, who could’ve had the game wrapped up within the first-half. Fred Onyedinma ran from the edge of his own box, dancing past Bournemouth players, before feeding Gregory, who dragged his left footed shot wide.

Just after the break Millwall should have paid the price for missed opportunities, but Lys Mousett headed a wonderful chance wide of the post. Millwall eventually and deservedly got their second, on forty-nine minutes. Sean Cummings found himself in the six-yard box to tap in a rebound from Morison’s pass that goalkeeper Adam Federici couldn’t hold.

The League One side seemed to have the game in the bag already, but things could’ve been different had Callum Wilson’s goal not been disallowed for offside.

Instead, there was still time for a final Millwall goal late in added time. Great work from Morison to win the ball back epitomised how Harris’ side had worked all day, and eventually the flowing counter attack was finished in style by Shane Ferguson, who drilled his shot across Federici and into the bottom corner.

A terrific hard-working and spirited performance from Millwall rightfully earned their place in the hat for the fourth round.

As for Bournemouth, it could be a long, long time before we see boss Howe make eleven changes again.

Goal of the Round: Sean McConville (Accrington Stanley)

Accrington Stanley’s Sean McConville (Right).

Looking through the FA Cup fixtures for the weekend, and you wouldn’t have predicted this to make the headlines, and heading in to half time 0-0, you’d have been spot on.

But Sean McConville had different ideas and produced an absolute cracker to put Accrington Stanley 1-0 up just a minute before half-time.

Stanley won the ball back just inside the Luton Town half and the ball was given to McConville on the left-wing.

He cut inside and curled an absolute peach into the top corner of Christian Walton’s goal.

On a dull day in Lancashire, a true stunner provided a spark to light up the game before the interval.

The second-half was slightly more eventful than the first, seeing first Luton equalise, Stanley back in front and then a late red card to Glen Rea. But what the second-half couldn’t provide, a goal anywhere near as good as that.