A delighted City boss Tommy Widdrington poured praise on his side after a battling display that saw the depleted home team punish a lackluster United performance and advance to a home quater final tie against Tamworth.

"The remit from me to the boys tonight was to get to the next round of the Trophy. It's the only competition that we have a realistic chance of getting to the final in and that job was accomplished. I thought the lads put in an unbelievably hard shift."

Having faced the majority of the match with ten men after Stuart Anderson's dismissal, Widdrington was delighted in how his team still continued to take the game to United and cause them problems.

"I didn't have a clear view of the sending off. It happened on the other side and that's not me having an Arsene Wenger moment saying that I didn't see it. I know he made the challenge, I won't know if it was worthy of a red card until I've seen the DVD. He stayed on his feet and their lad didn't so whether or not it looked like he jumped in to the referee I don't know. You then just have to get on with it.

"I felt we had to be fairly brave after the sending off to stick with the 4-3-2 rather than going to a 4-4-1 and trying to hold Cambridge. In fairness, Cambridge were patient in their build up and eventually got the goal which got their tails up, but my lads stuck to their task. So rather than knock Cambridge I'd like to say Salisbury City on the night under massive amounts of pressure did a fully professional job."

Always a perfectionist the Salisbury Manager understood that the result meant more than the quality of the performance.

"If we would have had eleven men on the pitch I wouldn't have accepted how we used the ball but we were down to ten and had to do what we needed to do. I know it wasn't pretty for the spectators or a Manager but the whole purpose of tonight's game was to get ourselves into the next round of the Trophy and by hook or by crook we have done that."

Rather than focusing on the error that lead to City's crucial second goal he happily heaped praise on goal scorer Robbie Sinclair.

"I was really pleased with the work we have done in training paying off in the interplay for our first goal. As for the second goal, we had no luck at all in the game at Altrincham on Saturday but it was good work by the lads to get the ball into the area that meant the Cambridge keeper had to make a decision what to do with the ball. His defender wasn't expecting the choice of ball out and Robbie Sinclair has stayed alert and punished them. It's just what he deserved for a magnificent performance out there tonight."

Finally he expressed sympathy for U's manager Martin Ling who now contends with a cup elimination joining the recent bad run of league results.

"It's difficult for any Manager when you are in a run like Martin is in. I've known Martin for a very long time. He's a football guy through and through and he will be doing whatever he can do to arrest the run. Nobody knows the constraints he is under, the conditions that the Club has gone from and to following last season. The team last year was a powerful, strong side but this year the bodies are different, the players are different and he is trying to mould the team his way. I'm sure given time he is the right guy to get the Club into the right position."

Interview by David Gray

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