Otley Town 1 Pool 2 (aet)

HOLDERS Pool deservedly went through to the last eight of the WharfedaleDistrict FA Cup at the expense of neighbours Otley Town.

In a game generally low on quality, the most progressive football came from the away side, as Otley turned in perhaps their poorest display of the season so far.

With the exception of Jamie Simms and Joe Currie, everyone else was below par, and can have few complaints about the result.

Sluggish from the off, Town struggled to create a meaningful chance until Scott Cater was upended in the box, and converted the resulting penalty to put his side a goal up.

For their part, Pool had realised their might be profit in winding up Town striker Toby Harris, and when their linesman flagged for a dubious throw-in when he would have been clean away, Harris could not contain his frustration – an inevitable booking followed his dissent at the decision.

This meant he was now walking the proverbial tightrope, and an innocuous looking trip early in the second-half ended his involvement.

The referee gave Harris his marching orders – a shame for a player who has cleaned up his act this season after disciplinary problems in the last campaign.

Pool grasped the mantle and began to dominate proceedings, going close to equalising on several occasions before finally levelling matters through Nick Hewitt with only seven minutes to go.

So the match went into extra-time and it only really remained to be seen whether Town could hold out for penalties – the tired legs of the ten men were not up doing much more than trying to prevent their goal being breached.

Alas it was not to be, as early in the second period Pool scored the winner with a lovely curled effort into the top corner from Neil Ebdon.

This coming Saturday Town have a home fixture against Ripon City