Arsenal’s loanees got off to a successful start in the FA Cup proper on Saturday, with two progressing to the next round.

Tim Akinola playing for Chesterfield FC (Photo via Chesterfield FC on Twitter)
Tim Akinola playing for Chesterfield FC (Photo via Chesterfield FC on Twitter)

With qualification now complete, the FA Cup kicked off in earnest on Friday, and four Arsenal loanees had the opportunity to start in the competition on Saturday.

Chelmsford City (Ovie Ejeheri), Crewe Alexandra (Arthur Okonkwo), Crawley Town (Mazeed Ogungbo), and Chesterfield (Tim Akinola) were all involved in the 15:00 kick-offs on Saturday, looking to progress to the second round.

The bad news was that Ogungbo missed Crawley Town’s visit from Accrington Stanley, having picked up an injury in his last game. Without the Arsenal defender, Crawley lost 4-1 to exit the competition.

For everyone else, round one went a lot better. Okonkwo started in goal for Crewe Alexandra and kept a clean sheet against Leyton Orient, making a key save in their 1-0 victory.

Akinola came off the bench for Chesterfield as they won 1-0 against Northampton Town, with the Arsenal midfielder impressing as his team looked to secure the result.

Finally, Ejeheri started for Chelmsford City away to Barnet, and he made a fantastic save to keep his team in it in the first half. The match finished 1-1, meaning Chelmsford will now bring Barnet to their ground for a replay.

Both Chelmsford and Chesterfield were facing teams from a league above them, making their results all the more impressive.

Ovie Ejeheri playing for Chelmsford City (Photo via Chelmsford City on Twitter)
Ovie Ejeheri playing for Chelmsford City (Photo via Chelmsford City on Twitter)

There’s one more first-round match to come for the Arsenal loanees, with Tyreece John-Jules and Ipswich Town set to travel to Bracknell Town on Monday night at 19:45 GMT. ITV will air the match for UK viewers.

45 minutes before that match, the second-round draw will be held on BBC2, with Crewe Alexandra, Chesterfield, and potentially Chelmsford and Ipswich involved.