Leatherhead won this FA Cup tie with late strikes from Marc Elston and Hassan Nyang in a match that looked to be heading towards a goal-less stalemate and replay.

The Tanners have had their fair share of highs and lows over the years in the FA Cup. In the previous round there had been plenty of highs as short, crisp passing and intelligent, creative play had overwhelmed Bedfont Green.

Unfortunately the same could not be said of this match which cried out for a goal from either side - or even a few meaningful attempts on target - before an eventful final ten minutes turned the tie in Leatherhead’s favour.

Mick Sullivan gave starts to Gabriel Emechete and Dan Dean in an otherwise unchanged line up from the previous match.

Both sides took a while to get going and failed to come up with any worthwhile attempts on goal in the opening exchanges. The nearest Leatherhead came to disturbing the Ashford defence was when an effort from Josh Smith was safely gathered by the Ashford goalkeeper.

At the other end Jon Coke and Dean Gunner were rarely troubled, as Ashford’s wingers were frustrated in their attempts to deliver the ball into the Tanners’ penalty area.

Ashford’s first real chance in the opening half came when Coke lost possession to Nick Smith on the edge of the box, but the winger’s tame effort was easily blocked by Craig Bradshaw in the Leatherhead goal.

Ashford’s best opportunity came after 35 minutes. Bradshaw made a poor clearance which hit one of his own players. The ball rebounded to an Ashford forward who snatched a shot towards goal. Chris Boulter came to the rescue and was well placed to head the ball off the goal line and away from danger.

Leatherhead thought they had taken the lead in first half stoppage time when Kev Terry stroked the ball past the Ashford keeper only to see the referee’s assistant raise his flag for offside.

Tentative play continued to be a feature of the early stages of the second half. Tony Cuff and Marc Elston replaced Emechete and Smith after 57 minutes, in the hope of injecting some extra pace into the Tanners midfield.

Ashford missed a golden opportunity to take the lead after 65 minutes when Luke Coleman had the ball at his feet inside the Tanners six yard box, but was unable to deliver a decisive shot or pass before losing possession.

With the tie stuttering towards a goalless draw - exemplified when the Tanners’ final substitute Kwabena Agyei tripped over the ball – Kev Terry made yet another run down the left flank in the 84th minute, in an effort to outwit the Ashford defence. Terry pulled the ball back to Elston who unleashed a shot through a wall of defenders and into the goal.

Ashford now had to push forward for an equaliser. On 87 minutes substitute Kevin Swaisland appeared to be bundled off the ball by Jon Coke in the Leatherhead penalty area. Loud appeals were heard from the Ashford players and fans for a penalty. But the referee waved play on.

The ball was immediately fed out of the box to Elston, who ran half the length of the pitch before delivering a pass to Tommy Hutchings on the edge of the Ashford penalty area. Hutchings made room to shoot but his blocked effort fell kindly to Nyang, who blasted the ball into the roof of the net to seal the win for Leatherhead.

Although this was a scrappy and untidy affair for long periods, the final result was the only thing that really mattered for Leatherhead and they now await Monday’s draw for the next qualifying round of the FA Cup.

Leatherhead: Craig Bradshaw, Jon Coke, Dean Gunner, Chris Boulter, Dan Dean, Hassan Nyang, Kev Terry, Gabriel Emechete (Tony Cuff), Dominic O’Shea (Kwabena Agyei), Tommy Hutchings, Josh Smith (Marc Elston)