Rangers had ended Saturday’s game on top and started brightly in tonight’s replay, taking the lead after just 4 minutes when James McCarthy – who had Rangers’ best chances in the initial tie at the weekend – headed home from a right footed corner, giving returning goalkeeper Ryan Price no chance from close range.

Andy Mutch’s side dominated the early fifteen minutes and Chasetown were clinging on to stay in the tie.

Eventually though, Chasetown rode the storm and came back strongly, keeping the ball well and Ramone Stephens – in a more advanced position was giving the home defence no ends of trouble. Stafford’s Darren Bullock was lucky to escape a caution after a body check on Stephens outside the area and then Michael Carr was booked for a late challenge on the Scholars Number 10.

Following one foul on Stephens, Grant Beckett’s curling free kick was partially cleared but his follow up cross was met by a Lee Butler header which was mistimed and the danger was averted.

McCarthy squandered a great chance to make it 2-0 before Chasetown hit the woodwork when Jack Farmer’s cross was met by Nick Wellecomme who looped a header over Jon Brain and Butler, racing in at the far post, saw his attempt come back off the outside of the post.

What probably proved to be the game’s turning point came when Stephens was a thorn in Stafford’s side again and was felled by former Scholar Lucan Spittle inside the penalty area. With regular spot kick taker Simon Brown unavailable due to work commitments, Louis Keenan assumed the responsibility for the kick and although it was powerfully struck and beat Brain, Keenan’s kick struck the cross bar and went over.

Competing with intermittent floodlights that randomly went off and came back on – at times making the Chasetown right wing very difficult to see – Chasetown really struggled to create a clear goalscoring opportunity. In fact, Brain did not make a single save throughout the ninety minutes.

Jonathan Haynes, who came on at half time for the injured Danny Bragoli, was himself substituted as Craig Harris brought on both Marco Adaggio and Danny Smith to try and wrestle the game into extra time.

However, as Chasetown did try and advance, Stafford hit the visitors on the break and Price made a good save to keep out Dan Cope and Chris Slater made a sensational tackle to deny McCarthy.

With two minutes left, a Chasetown attack appeared to be halted by the hands of Sean Kinsella but perhaps on the referee’s blind side and Stafford broke quickly and Dan Cope netted smartly to see the Evo-Stik Premier side through to the next round.

Stafford Rangers: Brain, Carr, Davies, Spittle, Bullock, Dacres, McCarthy, Flynn, Quinn (Cope, 75 mins), Kinsella, Johnson

Other subs: Langston, Johnson, Brown, Mason, Alcock (not used)

Chasetown: Ryan Price, Jack Farmer, Louis Keenan (Danny Smith, 75 mins), Chris Slater, Tesfa Robinson, Avun Jephcott, Lee Butler, Danny Bragoli (Jonathan Haynes, HT (Marco Adaggio, 71 mins)), Nick Wellecomme, Ramone Stephens, Grant Beckett

Other subs: Richard Teesdale, Leigh Downing, Andy Westwood, Mariusz Kisiel (not used)