RUSHALL OLYM 1 KETTERING T 2

THERE was a closely fought battle at Dales Lane where Kettering Town edged through to the next round courtesy of victory over Rushall Olympic.

Despite seeing plenty of the ball in the opening exchanges, the Pics fell behind when Wilson Carvalho curled home well from the edge of the area after eight minutes.

There was a good chance for the visitors to double their advantage just before the half-hour mark when a low ball from the left found Spencer Weir-Daley, who dragged his effort inches wide.

Some hesitation in defence by Rushall allowed Weir-Daley to break through and he coolly slotted the ball past Jose Veiga to make it 2-0 on 40 minutes.

The start of the second half found Veiga at his acrobatic best to deny James Brighton before the Pics pulled a goal back on 58 minutes when Zak Martin’s teasing ball into the danger zone was met by Alex Reid, who made no mistake.

As the home side increased the pressure in search of an equaliser, a flick-on by Aaron Forde fell to Martin, whose sweet strike was well saved by Paul White.

The visitors’ goalkeeper then produced a superb double save in the closing stages to deny Martin and Mo Diop from the followup and, in doing so, help his side make it through to the next round. STAR MAN: Paul White (Kettering Town) ENTERTAINMENT: ★★★★★