Penrith survived an early scare to go on and beat Pickering Town 3-1 in the first qualifying round of the FA Vase.
The tie was played at Carlisle United’s Brunton Park and the visitors got off to a flyer with a goal inside two minutes from Wayne Kitula.
But apart from that, and a late surge before the final whistle, Pickering posed few problems in the Penrith penalty area and three nicely taken goals gave the Cumbrians a well-deserved win.
Manager Darren Edmondson said: “Oli Reay was starting for the first time and he did really well, scoring two excellent goals. Ben Davidson also played well on his first start and with Alfie Brunskill between those two we had a front three which caused them problems.
“The thing about having a small squad is that when players miss out it gives a chance for those coming in to show what they’ve got. Lads playing themselves into a team or out of a team are just how football works.
“We had to use the size of Brunton Park and the quality of the surface and I was really pleased with how we went about it, especially after conceding an early goal. It was an excellent performance, confident in our movement and possession.
“It could have been five or six, and would have been but for their goalkeeper. But it was a good day at the office and a chance for the club to make some more money in the competition. However it’s back to reality in a way next week when we visit Crook Town in the League.”
Reay had provided Penrith with the equaliser on 25 minutes, and despite relentless pressure had to wait until the 75th minute when his second goal put them in front.
There was a late flurry from Pickering but Penrith sealed the tie in the fifth minute of time added on with a third goal from Ronan Irving.
In the second qualifying round Penrith will travel to Ryton and Crawcrook Albion on September 23. They are currently mid-table in Northern League Division Two with three wins and five defeats so far.
