BRADFORD Park Avenue are looking forward to their forthcoming FA Cup tie at Salford City after getting through to the third qualifying round by the skin of their teeth.

Avenue's players and staff were almost apologetic to opponents Consett as they left the Northern League outfit's Belle View ground last Saturday. The visitors trailed their hosts 1-0 with just seven minutes left but snatched a win right at the death.

Leading scorer Chib Chilaka came off the bench to level the tie and Richard Marshall hit a spectacular injury-time winner. It was harsh on the plucky northerners, who play their football three divisions below Avenue.

Horsfall boss Martin Drury accepted that his side had the luck with them on the day – but after having nothing but bad luck in a slow start to their National League North campaign, he feels his side were due a break.

The manager and his staff had not taken their trip lightly and it could possibly have been their meticulous planning that helped them through.

"We gave them the respect they deserve before the game by doing our homework on them thoroughly," said Drury.

"As soon as we knew the draw for the second qualifying round, we had Consett watched and did some background on them. We spoke to people, players, managers and coaches who had played them recently.

"Everything we heard told us they are a decent side and we knew their 3G pitch would be a benefit to them.

"But we talked about all these things in the week building up to the game and spoke to the players about maintaining the standards we'd set over our unbeaten run.

"We said that if we didn't approach the game in the right manner, it would be a difficult afternoon. I was disappointed that we didn't adapt to the astro surface as well as I would have liked, so it was difficult."

Despite Consett playing out of their skins and leaving nothing behind, it was Avenue who won the game as their fitness levels paid dividends. They finished strongly and that's what earned them their place in next Saturday's round and banked the club a tidy £4,500 windfall.

Drury said: "It's not all about the opposition – and I don't just mean Consett, who did play very well and caused us problems. It's the same whoever you are playing.

"If you let your standards slip or fail to prepare properly, then you are not going to win football matches. I thought the performances in the three games before the cup tie, against Telford, Solihull and Tamworth, were all excellent.

"When you are playing that well and doing the right things, the next game can't come quickly enough and the lads are full of confidence at the moment."

Avenue went through the whole of last month unbeaten and will hope to get October off to a flier with a home league win over Brackley Town today.