A QUIET first half, with Vics having the best of the chances that there were.

Matty Clarke tried an ambitious 40-yarder on five minutes after being well set up by Lynch and Potts, but it was easy for Holmes in the Padiham net to collect.

Twenty minutes in and Padiham had their first effort at goal when Marton blasted well over from 20 yards.

Three minutes later, Marton turned provider as he crossed from deep but Ince couldn't get enough on his header to test Mike Hale in the Vics net.

In the 27th minute, a long ball out by Adam Sumner was picked up by the lively Brad Lynch, who jinked along the edge of the box before setting up Clarke for a rasping 25-yard drive which Holmes did well to hold as he dived to his left. The rest of the first half passed by with little incident.

The second half was barely a minute old when Vics won a corner, which was swung in by Tom Kilifin and met by the darting run to the near post of Brandon Barski, who perfectly flicked a header into the far corner.

Vics almost went two up a couple of minutes later as persistence from Henderson won the ball near the corner and laid it across to Kilifin, who then found Lynch just inside the box.

Lynch turned well and struck an effort towards the corner of the net which Holmes did well to grasp at full length.

Padiham then equalised in fortuitous fashion when a cross from Marton was turned into his own net by Barski as he tried to intercept the ball from the onrushing Ince, who claimed the goal.

Vics didn't let this setback get to them and a few minutes later they went ahead again as a long free kick was played into the Padiham box was headed down superbly by Kilifin to Barski, who wrong footed the defender and placed the ball into the back of the net.

Vics were controlling the match now, limiting chances for Padiham and constantly pushing forward themselves.

Louis Potts had an effort from just inside the area after good approach play by Vics but it lacked the power to trouble Holmes too much.

Ten minutes later it was Potts again, this time from 25 yards with a powerful strike but straight at the keeper.

Vics very nearly extended their lead in the 82nd minute – Clarke won the ball in midfield and laid it forward to Potts who expertly found Saul Henderson on the right of the box.

He ran across the edge of the box before firing an angled shot which went just past the right hand post.

A minute later, Vics did get the third goal they deserved when Kilifin beat his man down the left and laid the ball low across the box to Tom Powell, who side-footed the ball home to seal the win.

Report by Pete Tonge