NORTHWICH Victoria got the job done at Wincham Park as they progressed in the FA Cup tonight at the expense of manager Steve Wilkes' former club.

A Ryan Winder goal in the 77th minute separated Vics from North West Counties League rivals Padiham in the extra preliminary round clash.

It was the first competitive game since March for both sides when, by coincidence, Padiham also provided the opposition for Vics’ last game before the Covid-19 lockdown – a 3-1 league victory at Wincham Park.

Wilkes believed the red card for Padiham's Mark Eyres just after the hour mark for an off-the-ball incident went a long way to changing the game in his side's favour.

He admitted he was not completely satisfied with his side's display but was happy to grind it out.

"t was very hard-fought but we knew it was going to be like that," he said.

"We started really well – I thought we came out of the traps like a bat out of hell.

"We hit the crossbar after two or three minutes and if that goes in, it probably settles us down.

"Padiham worked very, very hard and were difficult to break down but ultimately, the sending-off has changed the game.

"When the lad got sent off, we controlled the game really well and got the goal. They changed system a bit after that and we seemed to panic.

"We didn’t need to panic – we just needed to keep the ball and we didn’t do that.

"Mike Hale has come for a few crosses at the end and Kieron Kenny has put his head on a couple to close out the win.

"Overall, I’m not totally happy with the performance but I’m happy with the result.

"Last season, we wouldn’t have won that game, I make no bones about it but we really dug in."

Vics will go on to host Charnock Richard, 4-1 victors over Athersley Recreation, in the preliminary round on Saturday, September 12.