CARL Macauley claimed Witton Albion’s pulsating FA Trophy victory against Colwyn Bay captured how he wants his team to play.

They set a date with Kettering Town at the next stage as a reward for a 3-1 win secured thanks to goals from Michael Wilson, Steve Tames and Rob Hopley.

And Albion did it with style too, committing to attack from the first whistle.

“That’s what I asked the players to do,” said Macauley afterwards.

“It was an open game, maybe even more than I had expected.

“But I think we were strong and aggressive, and the lads’ energy levels were fantastic.

“The biggest compliment I can pay them is I don’t think you can pick out who was our best player – a lot of them performed to the best of their ability, and it was a great team performance.”

He told the Guardian that it had been a gamble to select Wes Benjamin from the start for only his third start of the season.

The former Clitheroe defender played alongside Wilson at the heart of Witton’s backline, allowing captain Anthony Gardner to return to his preferred role at full-back.

Macauley added: “I’ll be honest, that was a late call.

“We changed our mind at the last minute because we wanted to have Anthony [Gardner], who I think is one of the best in his position at this level, free to get forward.

“That meant throwing Wes in at the deep end, but I felt he did well against [Gary] Burnett and [Will] Jones who are an established duo that score regularly.

“It helped us having Prince [Haywood] back in the fold; he did ever so well, and stopped their left back from attacking us.”

The former Marine manager said he would think about a meeting with the Poppies, rivals for Witton when the teams played in the Football Conference two decades ago, only after Saturday’s league game at Belper.

“Home advantage is important, and we have to admit we’ve been lucky with that in draws this season,” he added.

“I expect it to be a fantastic tie; it’s a big game for the club, and they’ll bring a big following with them.

“But beating Belper is what matters to me now, that’s for later.”