Clinical finishes sends United through in Vase

The visitors took the lead midway through the first half despite the Lions showing promise early on with a deflected shot almost looping under goalkeeper Dean Bull’s bar.

Rafe Goodman clipped a ball from the center circle exquisitely into the path of Dave Parkinson down the right, who proceeded to cut inside the defender and hit the turf under the challenge of his opposite man- the result was a penalty-kick.

The dread-haired forward assumed the responsibility and slotted the ball into the bottom, right corner.

A remarkable strike from Sam Holmes as his half-volley nestled into the top corner appeared to have doubled his side’s advantage but for the cruel intervention of the linesman, who correctly ruled it out for offside.

It took until the dying embers of the first period but United’s second did arrive eventually when Parkinson lofted pass release to Matt Nolan, who replaced George Brinkman after 15 minutes following an unfortunate injury to the captain, and whilst his shot was saved Holmes followed up to fire home.

The hosts had shown enough to suggest the match was entirely secure and they were tantalisingly close to halving the deficit as they struck the post with a low, driven shot from the left before Ieuan Lewis diverted the rebound away from goal.

However, Nolan should have clinched the result after the break when he was fed invitingly by Holmes via a cross from the right that the forward could only turn over from close-range.

The Lions couldn’t force their way back into the match subsequently and the contest was ultimately settled by Parkinson twenty-five minutes from time as he finished a ruthless counter-attacking move he had started, receiving the final pass inside the box from Joe Hankins before controlling and finding the bottom corner.

And that was how the game concluded with United safely through in another cup competition.