Carlisle City are through to the third round of the FA Vase for the first time in the club’s history.
Jim Nichols’ side produced a dominant performance to beat Cheadle Town of the North West Counties League 2-1 at Gillford Park.
Nichols said: “It was a really good performance all through the game and really we should have won it with a bit more in hand.
“We hit the bar in the first minute and that set the tone really for the game. We also had three efforts kicked off the line and their goalkeeper made a number of fine saves.
“The draw for the third round is on Monday and we will be happy with a home draw against anyone of our level because we feel we would take some beating.
“We now have to make sure we keep up the standard in the League because the next round isn’t until December 2 so we want some League points on the board before then.”
Jordan Palmer, who had twice been denied by the Cheadle keeper, put City ahead on 16 minutes with a tidy opener but out of the blue, and with a suspicion of off-side Wealth de Silva levelled on 38 minutes.
Despite non-stop pressure – and virtually no concerns at the back – City had to wait until the 75th minute for the winner from defender Dan Kirkup.
Nichols said: “We normally expect Dan to be up there for set-pieces putting away a header but this was a bit different. We’d had efforts kicked off the line and when Dan picked one up, he dropped a shoulder to wrong foot an opponent and then smashed a left foot rocket into the roof of the net.”
