Burton boss Gary Bowyer praises Diamonds and their 'magnificent' supporters
Boss Gary Bowyer was delighted to see Burton Albion see off a 'terrific' AFC Rushden & Diamonds in Saturday's Emirates FA Cup first round.
The Sky Bet League One side showed their class as they eventually ran out 4-0 winners at the Pirelli Stadium thanks to goals from Will Collar, Raphael Borges Rodrigues, Charlie Webster and Zac Scutt.
But the game was still alive with the score at 2-0 going into the final 15 minutes, and Bowyer admitted he was relieved to see his team get over the line and book a place in round two.
The Brewers boss praised the Diamonds players and also the 2,000 travelling fans on a day that he says epitomised 'the romance' of the FA Cup.
"There have been some shocks and that was the message all week," said Bowyer.
"We didn't want to be a headline, and we got through, although we weren't great.
"If we had played better we could have had more goals, and Rushden had a wonderful spell at the start of the second half and put us under pressure, and you could sense a goal coming.
"So fair play to them, I thought they were terrific and I thought their supporters were magnificent.
"It's the romance of the FA Cup, it's knockout football, and it's all about getting through.
"We wasted some glorious opportunities, but in the end it is about winning, and to score four goals at home and to keep a clean sheet is really important."