Stone satisfied as Doughboys sink Nantwich to make FA Trophy progress
Boss Jake Stone was delighted to see his Wellingborough Town team progress into the third qualifying round of the FA Trophy with a hard-fought 3-2 win at Nantwich Town on Saturday.
The Doughboys boss was forced into a clutch of changes, with Lloyd Buckby, Will Jones and Ethan Johnston all ruled out, while there was also a change in goal as Kettering Town loanee Jason Alexander replaced the unavailable Dean Snedker.
Another Poppies loanee, Kay Fifield, made his Borough debut, while teenage striker Alex Wilson also made his first senior appearance from the bench, having come through the club's Moulton College pathway.
And although pleased with the efforts of all of the new faces, Stone felt it took a while for the team to settle.
That said, the Doughboys took a 37th-minute lead through Danny Draper, only for the hosts to level two minutes into the second half.
Jack O'Connor restored Borough's lead on 51 minutes, and substitute Zayn Hakeem made it 3-1 16 minutes from time.
Nantwich added a second deep into stoppage time, but it was too little too late as the Doughboys progressed.
"I thought we weren't really at the races in the first half," Stone told Doughboys TV.
"We have had some difficult games, and playing Kettering back-to-back we were always going to be tired.
"So I felt there would be a knock-on effect, which is why we made some changes, and I felt that knocked our rhythm a little bit.
"But in the second half we were miles better and in the end came out with a win we just about deserved.
"Nantwich scored really late on to get their second, but I thought in the last 20 minutes we took complete control and started to look as we have looked in the 10 previous games.
"We started to impose ourselves and look good.
"But overall, it was a nice reminder in the first half that you have to be at the levels, and then in the second half we showed what we've been about for the past month or so.
"It was a good day, happy to be in the next round, but would like a better 90-minute performance at Nuneaton on Tuesday."
The Doughboys will travel to Nuneaton having lost top spot in the Pitching-In Northern Premier League Midlands Division.
Rugby Borough won 3-1 at Coleshill Town to go top of the pile by a point, but the second-placed Doughboys have three games in hand.