After just 6 minutes, Ashley Whitehead looked to have conceded a foul on Danny Smith but referee Mr Mycock waved away the claims.

Smith went just wide with a header before home keeper Daniel Read made a great save to deny Nick Wellecomme and was more fortuitous with the rebound from Joe Halsall that he somehow managed to get a right foot on to clear the danger.

Scholars’ fans could have been forgiven for thinking that tonight would be a repeat of Saturday’s missed chances but the deadlock was broken in the 24th minute when Ramone Stephens whipped in a great cross at the near post that eluded Read and Simon Brown netted from 6 yards.

Ironically, it was up the slope that Chasetown had dominated at the weekend but it was down the slope that they bossed the game tonight.

This time though, the pressure counted and two minutes before the break, Smith burst beyond Read and was sent tumbling to the floor as Smith knocked the ball beyond the keeper. Read received a yellow card but the double whammy for the Grove number 1 was a thumping penalty from Brown to give Chasetown a 2-0 lead at the interval.

Four minutes into the second half, Chasetown had clear daylight. Read did well to keep out Smith’s well struck drive but, despite getting both hands onto Wellecomme’s rebound, the ball nestled into the bottom corner.

Wellecomme snatched at a chance to make it 4-0 while Tesfa Robinson drove a cross-cum-shot across the 6 yard box as Craig Harris’ men looked to kill the game.

Twenty minutes from time, Karl Espley headed home to give the hosts a glimmer of a chance and when substitute Ryan Grocott netted with a low, curling long range effort beyond a busy goalmouth with 11 minutes left, Chasetown were defending deeper and deeper and facing the prospect of going to a penalty shoot-out.

That opportunity came with two minutes of regulation time remaining when a right-wing cross fizzed across the Chasetown penalty area but no-one could get a touch, and Chasetown’s name is in the hat for the next round, with the game scheduled for week commencing January 13th.

Kidsgrove Athletic: Read, Whitehead, A Taylor, C Smith, Johnson, Espley (Wakefield, 78 mins), Chinn-Shaw (Grocott, 67 mins), Carr, Haddrell, Matrange, R Smith (Mighten, 67 mins)

Other subs: Street, Wakefield, P Taylor (not used)

Chasetown: Ryan Price, Jack Farmer, Louis Keenan, Chris Slater, Tesfa Robinson, Joe Halsall, Simon Brown, Danny Bragoli, Nick Wellecomme, Danny Smith (Craig Bannister, 86 mins), Ramone Stephens (Lee Butler, 74 mins)

Other subs: Tyrone Williams, Grant Beckett, Paul Sullivan (not used)