Valley booked themselves a place in the next round of the FA Cup, but it ultimately took them more than three and half hours of football and a penalty shoot-out to see off North West Counties League Norton.

Town travelled to Stoke-on-Trent for the midweek replay and the teams played out the same scoreline as in the weekend's original game, with Rugby reduced to ten men towards the end of the first half following Lewis McBride's dismissal.

However Town held their nerve from the spot-kick decider, with all four of their nominated penalty takers successful, and with Norton missing twice, Rugby earned a trip to Nantwich in the First Qualifying Round of the competition.

The first half of the replay carried on pretty much where the original game had left off, with Norton looking a well-organised outfit but lacking real threat in the attacking third, and Valley the better team when they actually had the ball and always likely to be a threat on the break.

However it was the hosts that took the lead on 24 minutes, when David Kolodynski was dispossessed on the halfway line, with McDonald then doing well to take the ball on and curl home from the edge of the area.

Town were level eleven minutes later though, when Seb Lake-Gaskin’s shot bounced back off the post and onto keeper Roberts’s head before crossing the line, after Kolodynski had redeemed himself with some good work out on the left flank.

McBride’s sending off came five minutes before the break, with the referee adjudging his late tackle a dangerous one.

Despite their numerical disadvantage, a much-improved Valley missed a number of good chances to secure the game in the second half of normal time. Kolodynski shot straight at the keeper from close range, after a great first time volleyed cross from Kelly, and both Ed Booth and Alex Gudger just failed to force the ball home after a Sam Youngs’ corner.

Kolodynski had another good effort blocked by a defender, and Roberts also saved comfortably from Lake-Gaskin, with United’s best chance falling to Darren Chadwick – but he blazed wide from twelve yards.

Town again looked the most likely to break the deadlock in extra-time, with Kolodynski again missing the target after Ellis Myles had picked him out with a low cross.

Lake-Gaskin drew another save from Roberts, and Justin Marsden squandered a chance too, as Rugby just could not find that critical cutting edge.

With penalties looming, Daniel Brown’s volley for the hosts saw a neat save by Niall Cooper, and then an air-shot from Sheldon Dodd late-on seemingly summed up Valley’s night.

And so to the shoot-out, with United first-up and scoring their first two spot-kicks – although Lake-Gaskin and Michael Williams did likewise for Rugby.

A Norton miss then gave the visitors the advantage - especially after Craig Kelly then powered his penalty home. Another successful strike apiece followed (Marsden for Valley), before Cooper kept out Norton’s fifth to give Town an insurmountable 4-3 lead.

Valley Line-up: Cooper; Myles, Kelly, Booth, Gudger; McBride, Marsden, Belcher (Palmer), Youngs (Dodd); Lake-Gaskin; Kolodynski (Williams). Subs not used: Rowley, Bishop. Booked: Kolodynski, Belcher. Sent Off: McBride.