Wonderful Wood!

Tiny Boreham Wood displayed extraordinary composure and resolve to dispose of Conference North Worksop Town in the quarter-finals of the FA Trophy.

The team that has taken this season's competition by storm, held their nerve at Worksop's Sandy Lane to produce a performance to match that of the previous two rounds, where they dispatched Conference sides Gravesend and Northfleet and Crawley Town.

With 14 senior players and the balance of the squad made up of teenagers from the club's junior teams, Boreham Wood have been punching above their weight in this year's competition.

But outstanding team spirit and self-belief permeate this side, and again they carved out an unlikely victory, this time with a 1-0 win.

Midfielder Michael Black, whose prominence against Crawley Town in the previous round was a telling factor, got the goal that mattered - a rasping shot into the top corner in the 27th minute.

But ultimately the hero was keeper Noel Imber, who produced a string of fine saves, the most noteworthy being a brilliant reflex parry from the marauding Tony Crane.

Both teams had their chances, but Worksop may feel a little aggrieved that they couldn't at least snatch a draw.

Crane struck the bar with Imber, for once, well beaten, and came close on at least three other occasions.

But it wasn't all one way traffic. At the other end, Leon Archer hit the post with an exquisite chip and both Ian Cooper and Tommy Williams went close.

The final quarter was all Worksop as they battled to find a way through the resilient Wood defence, but the Hertfordshire side held on.

"It was a fantastic day for the club," said Boreham Wood Chairman Danny Hunter.

Club secretary Bob Nicholson said it had been "Quite an emotional day, but thoroughly enjoyable."

And Nicholson added that the challenge may have only just begun.

"We're in the semi-finals of the FA Trophy, in two County Cup semi-finals and are top of the league. There's a lot of unfinished business to focus on."

National Conference strugglers Exeter City raced into a 3-0 lead against Southern League Premier Salisbury City, the visitors on the back foot from the moment defender Tim Bond was sent off for a clumsy tackle on veteran striker Steve Flack.

Leading marksman Lee Phillips converted the penalty that resulted from the challenge and the towering Flack added a second, nodding in at the back post on the half hour.

Exeter, who have lost their last four league games, made sure the match was over as a contest when Phillips lobbed the keeper on the hour.

But urged on by some 1,300 travelling supporters Salisbury City dominated a fiery final quarter in which Exeter's Danny Woodards was sent off and Salisbury coach Mitch Blake was shown a red card.

They scored a deserved consolation through Robert Matthews in the 79th minute but Exeter held firm to reach the semi-finals.

Woking can thank Tom Hutchinson and a spirited second half performance as they came from behind to earn a replay against Conference North table-toppers Stafford Rangers.

Reduced to ten men when keeper Shwan Jalal was sent off after bringing down Rangers striker Neil Grayson in the box, Woking looked doomed to defeat when Grayson gleefully thumped in the resulting penalty.

But the Conference National side rallied after half-time, Hutchinson putting the gloss on a vibrant performance when he nodded down for Craig McAlistair to belt in the equaliser.

In the final quarter final Grays Athletic keeper Ashley Bayes turned from villain to hero as the holders fought for their lives against improving Dagenham and Redbridge.

The Daggers had savaged Grays in a league match five days earlier, consigning their opponents to a 4-0 defeat, but the East London team weren't in the mood to give up the Trophy without a fight.

Grays were quick out of the blocks, going ahead through Glenn Poole in the sixth minute, but Dagenham came back on the quarter hour when a Bayes blunder let in Craig Mackail-Smith.

In a scrappy but well contested game, a draw seemed the most likely result until Mackail-Smith latched onto Chris Moore¹s through ball and his goal bound snap shot was brilliantly saved by Bayes.