Gary McCann was both relieved and delighted to progress in the FA Cup yesterday afternoon against AFC Rushden & Diamonds.

"This was the proverbial banana skin" he said, "but we got through it.

"It was a struggle. We had good periods of possession and control but also had to rely on our goalkeeper for two very important saves at 0-0.

"They will be very disappointed to have lost and if they felt they were deserving of a replay, I would have no arguments.

"I am sure that they could hold their own at our level, and I think we will see them at Step 3 in the next couple of years.

"It was a performance where we had to really dig deep. We are showing signs of fatigue - as are most teams - and injuries have made our already thin squad even thinner."