Dorchester Town first-team coach Jason Brookes said he was “really pleased” after his side beat Winchester City 3-1 in the FA Cup, picking out striker Ethan Taylor after his two goals.
The Magpies put their name into the draw for the first qualifying round after two goals from Taylor either side of a debut goal for Henry Spalding.
It was Dorchester’s third win in a row after recovering from a 5-1 opening-day defeat to Weymouth.
But it was not an easy tie at the Avenue, with Brookes admitting his side had to work hard for the victory.
Speaking to BBC Radio Solent after the match, he said: “We had to work hard at times because they’re a good team, they’ve got really good players, but the way we went about our business and what we’ve been working on to prepare for this, it was nice to see it come out today.”
It had been a fairly quiet first half, with neither side carving out too many clear opportunities.
However, Taylor produced a moment of quality to give the hosts the lead, curling a free-kick from just outside the penalty area into the corner.
On Taylor’s opener, Brookes said: “What a free kick, to be fair. It was a bit scrappy up to that point, to be honest, but he’s been very good at doing that.
“We’ve seen that in training, so we know he can do it. It’s about time he put one in — and it couldn’t have been any more in the corner really.”
Spalding made it 2-0 after the break before Winchester halved the deficit in the 86th minute to set up a potentially nervy finish.
But Taylor was on hand again to restore Dorchester’s two-goal lead and secure the win.
On Taylor’s second goal, Brookes said: “We conceded the goal and you’re looking at how we’re going to react, and if we’re just going to sit in and be secure.
“But we kept going, we got back on the front foot and got a goal from it.”
Brookes also credited the impact of his substitutes, particularly Spalding, who scored shortly after coming on.
He said: “It’s credit to Glenn and the staff and everybody getting them on at the right times, because it’s not so much just the players, it’s the timing and what you tweak that goes with it.
“We’ve got a good squad, we’ve got really good players and people are being ready. We’ve had it in previous games as well, where they come on and have a good impact.”
The Magpies had to withstand sustained Winchester pressure, including a number of corners, and Brookes felt his side handled the contest maturely.
“We had to be disciplined and make sure that we defended crosses well and didn’t get drawn into some of the stuff that was going on out there today,” he said.
“They’ve got really good players and they’ve scored a lot of goals this season. For us to be able to stand firm for the most part in the game and then go and win the game in cup football, it’s brilliant.
“You just need one more than them really, so it’s nice to get through.”
Asked what he wanted from the next round, Brookes said a home tie would be his preference, although he would welcome a Dorset derby.
“We’re always happy to have a Dorset derby, but I like a home game really,” he said.
“The crowd here are brilliant and every time we play at home, we feel like we can play against anyone.”
The victory was Dorchester’s third in succession after the opening-day loss to Weymouth, and Brookes said the reaction to that setback had been encouraging.
“There’s no getting away from it, it was a really disappointing opening day for us, and we weren’t happy with that,” he said.
“But the reaction — the best thing that we could do is get back at it, work hard — and that’s the only thing you can do sometimes. We’ve done that really well.”
Looking ahead to the trip to Larkhall, Brookes said the squad would use the week to assess “little knocks and niggles” before preparing for another league fixture.
He added: “This club is a big club. We need to have a positive season.
“Having the intention of trying to be right up there in the league and have some good cup runs, I think we’re heading in that right direction now.”
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