Brian McBride pounced in the dying moments of extra-time to send Fulham through againstLincoln City following a night of high drama at Craven Cottage.

Chris Coleman's side only narrowly avoided joining Tottenham, Portsmouth and Manchester City among the Premiership clubs to crash out of the competition at the first hurdle while brave League Two outfit Lincoln returned home with their heads held high after a exhilarating 5-4 defeat.

Fulham were cruising after Zesh Rehman and Heidar Helguson pounced in the space of four first-half minutes to open their Fulham accounts but Lincoln staged a stirring second-half fightback.

Obviously told by boss Keith Alexander to take the game to their Premiership opponents, they attacked with great zeal and were rewarded when Francis Green and Marvin Robinson wiped out the deficit.

A bizarre Moritz Volz own-goal, which will haunt the German right-back for years to come, combined with a string of magnificent saves from goalkeeper Alan Marriott sent the game into extra-time.

Quickfire goals from Liam Rosenior and Tomasz Radzinski appeared to have buried Lincoln's brave challenge but Alexander's side failed to give up and pulled one back through Scott Kerr as the match took a fresh twist, only for McBride to claim the winner.

After being pegged back by Michael McIndoe's last-gasp extra-time spot-kick, Stuart Pearce's side suffered three successful failures of their own in the decisive duel, leaving Doncaster to claim a place in the last 32 and add their names to the likes of Lincoln, Halifax and Oldham, who have humbled City in cup combat in recent seasons.

A dismal game came to life in extra-time with two penalties and a sending off. The partisan crowd erupted in anger when referee Graham Salisbury pointed to the spot when Richard Dunne's surge into the area was ended by Phil McGuire's shove. Yet the contact appeared obvious enough and once tempers had eased, Darius Vassell strode up and smashed the ball home.

With Doncaster tiring, it looked like the end of their challenge, particularly as the League One outfit mustered barely nothing in response. Yet new life was breathed into their hopes in the most unfortunate manner possible in the final minute of the opening period of extra-time.

When Nedum Onuoha slid in on keeper Andy Warrington after briefly losing control of the ball inside Doncaster's area, the contact appeared accidental. Salisbury thought otherwise and immediately brandished a red card. Whatever the rights and wrongs of that decision, the damage was extensive and Warrington was carried off with a suspected broken leg.

Once home heads had cleared, they woke to the realisation they had an extra man, and, as the clock ticked down, they began to use it. But it eventually required another dramatic intervention from Salisbury, who once more pointed to the spot after City skipper Sylvain Distin had handled.

McIndoe wasted no time in rattling home the equaliser, which set up the final drama. In the shoot-out, stand-in keeper Jan Budtz was the Rovers hero, saving from Sibierski and Dunne after Vassell had hit the bar with his first kick, while McIndoe, Coppinger and Paul Heffernan all scored to take the hosts through.

Craig Bellamy hit a brace and Zurab Khizanishvili also scored his first goal for Blackburn as they ended a month-long drought to beat Huddersfield 3-1.

Making his second start following a return from a thigh injury, Bellamy found the net for the first time since his £5million summer move from Newcastle in the 11th minute with a confident finish.

And Georgian defender Khizanishvili, on a season-long loan deal from Rangers added another on the hour mark.

Huddersfield's hot property Pawel Abbott hit his ninth goal of the season with 10 minutes remaining but Bellamy added another just five minutes later to seal victory for the 2002 winners.