They say that fine seas do not a Yachtsman make, and this was anything but plain sailing on a blustery day under a tupperware sky in Derbyshire. The hosts, nicknamed the Shiners, had reached the furthest they had ever reached in this competition unlike Wroxham’s finest who were looking to emulate the heroes from the Broads of ten years ago – famously finalists at a spanking new Wembley stadium. The Shiners wanted to go further and took the lead playing down the slope with the wind at their backs, as Hanslow, with his back to goal, dipped, turned and tried his luck from the edge of the area. His luck was in as the strike kicked off the lumpy pitch and up and over the outstretched arms of captain Sutton in the Wroxham goal to the delight of the home supporters in the crowd of 170 plus.

It didn’t seem to overly bother the visitors who had a game of their own to play made difficult by the wind which blew the ball back at them and the pitch which didn’t allow any speed of pass to match the speed of thought of Taylor, Black and Lappin in the Wroxham midfield or the surging runs of Hill, Miles and Clarke. A counter punt and chase by the home side retained a threat throughout a first half dominated by Wroxham possession and decorated by some silky skills at both ends before an explosive end when Clarke drew a superb double save from Hall before Sutton matched it within a minute at the other end with strong save high to his right.
A goal deficit at the break never seemed a mountain to climb. The second half started much as the first had finished with plenty of Wroxham possession and territory but the niggling threat of surprisingly skilful counters now that the up and unders made less sense. Cue substitution as former Norwich City striker Grant Holt entered the fray. His ability hold up play and bring people in around him got Wroxham further up the pitch and, with Henery and Oakley also introduced, the pressure finally told on the Shiners as a number of set pieces ended with Chris Skipper thumping home a header from close range to bring the tie level just after the hour. Sutton pulled off another great save low to his right as the home side rallied but more pressure ended with Holt empathically thumping home a header to make it 2 – 1 with barely 20 to play, much to the delight of the significant travelling support. There was still time for Sutton to make more a couple more crucial stops before Charlie Clarke made the game safe with very late third. The Yachtsmen will fear no one in the last sixteen. On this performance, in these conditions, with these players, rightly so.