WISBECH Town have scraped through to the second round of the FA Vase following an epic encounter with Ely City. The Fenmen were off-colour in the first instalment of the tie at Ely s Unwin Ground, on Saturday, and they were fortunate to force the game to

WISBECH Town have scraped through to the second round of the FA Vase following an epic encounter with Ely City.

The Fenmen were off-colour in the first instalment of the tie at Ely's Unwin Ground, on Saturday, and they were fortunate to force the game to a replay following a goalless draw, in which Martin McNeil was sent off.

The replay at Fenland Park, on Tuesday, proved to be equally tight and only a Liam Harrold goal in the final minutes of extra-time gave the Fenmen a 2-1 victory.

Despite dominating the early exchanges on Tuesday, Wisbech conceded the first goal after 38 minutes.

The Fenmen got back on to level terms in the second half thanks to Danny Hammond's penalty and it wasn't until the 119th minute that Harrold headed home Liam Nimmo's cross.

Two extra-time games in three days is hardly the best preparation for Wisbech's big FA Cup third qualifying round game at Solihull Borough tomorrow (Saturday) but manager Dick Creasey is still up-beat.

He said: "We didn't play well over the two games and our finishing deserted us. We created enough chances to win Tuesday's game in normal time but, thankfully, we did eventually score the all-important goal.

"We now have to look forward and we have a juicy home tie against Boston Town in the second round. It is important for the club to do well in the Vase because it is a competition that we have a chance of winning."

Creasey admits that tomorrow's big match probably had an effect on his side's performances. He said: "I think that we have all been thinking about the FA Cup match and it is natural that the players will be distracted."

Looking forward to the trip to Solihull, Creasey said: "This could be the last chance we get to enjoy an FA Cup game this season so we are going to give it our best shot and, hopefully, we will have a lot of supporters with us.

"We have been watching Solihull and we have our plans on how to approach the game but I want the lads to have the same attitude that they showed against Redditch United in the last round."

The double-header with Ely has had a physical effect on the Fenmen and Mark Jimson has finally succumbed to injury and will now undergo surgery on a hernia.

There are other scares and Steve Appleby was substituted on Tuesday. Creasey said: "Steve pulled up and we are hopeful that it was just cramp and not a muscle strain."

Darren Jimson has not fully recovered from injury and missed Tuesday's game but there was finally some good news for the Wisbech boss.

Wayne Morris and Lee Hudson both returned to the squad and came out unscathed from appearances in the FA Vase replay. However, Matt Oswin is cup-tied and Dane Harper is unavailable for the game at Solihull.

- COACH travel is available for any supporters wishing to travel to Solihull tomorrow. The coach will leave Fenland Park at 10am and travel costs £10. Places are limited and anyone wishing to travel should contact Spenny on 07793 863849.

- WISBECH Town will be hosting a special meeting on Thursday, October 26. The meeting will give fans the opportunity to discuss the proposed move to a new ground and other issues relating to the club's future. It will start at 7.15pm at the Social Club, Fenland Park.