Dunston UTS 2 Ashford United 3.

Dunston were within three minutes of a last eight place in the quarter final of the Vase, but Ashford agonisingly scored twice to clinch an away tie at Salisbury.

But Dunston will look upon this as a big chance missed, as they had plenty of opportunities to finish the game off at 2-0. Sub Steve Goddard was sent off before he’d even touched the ball in the second half, and Dunston couldn’t hang on with ten men.

The one consolation for the Northern League is that Morpeth won 2-1 at Berkhamsted in their tie..

Ashford posed the first danger when nippy left winger Ryan Palmer tried a shot on the turn that Liam Connell touched around the post, then at the other end Aristotte Guerin fired straight at George Kamurasi from the corner of the box.

Dunston’s top scorer Malky Morien then broke in the inside left position, but shot straight at the keeper.

Dunston suffered a blow when Connell was caught by a late challenge from Ashford’s Paul Booth and after long treatment left the field shortly after defender Adam Wilkinson limped off and was replaced by Josh Clark.

Morien had another chance on 25 minutes when he picked up a pass from Richardson, and after he beat one defender, tired to round the keeper and had the ball taken off his feet.

Kamurasi pulled off a great save from the corner, with Aristotte Guerin’s downward header was heading for the bottom corner until the keeper just managed to stick out his left hand.

But he had no chance with the opening goal on 26 minutes, when ball through the middle found Richardson racing through, and he coolly placed the ball across the keeper into the bottom corner.

Ashford nearly levelled within a minute when Taser Hassan cut in from the right, and Clark got down well to his right and saved his shot.

Dunston made it 2-0 on 40 minutes when Stephen Harrison won possession and found Morien, who worked his way into the box and struck a right foot shot that took a slight deflection on its way into the bottom corner.

Dale Burrell popped up on his own line to clear from Paul Booth, but Richardson’s pace was always causing problems, and he burst through again into the box, but a defender just did enough to force him to put his shot wide.

And just on half time Richardson fired a great chance over from the edge of the box, when Morien was screaming for the ball unmarked.

Dunston stayed on top in the second half. Alex Francis forced a good save out of Kamurasi from an acute angle, then Burrell fired over from the edge of the box.

Agonisingly, a long high ball forward by Burrell found Richardson in the clear, and his lob over the advancing keeper dropped just wide of the post.

Ashford showed signs of getting back into the game, and they had two shots cleared off the line in a goalmouth scramble, before they pulled a goal back on the hour, when the ball was crossed in from the right for Shaun Welford to head past Clark from six yards.

Welford spurned a great chance to equalise when he got away from the offside trap, but Clark smothered at his feet.

Dunston were then reduced to ten men on 66 minutes when sub Steve Goddard, who had only been on the field less than a minute, was red carded for retaliating to a foul by Danny Lye, who was yellow carded for his part in the incident.

The balance of the game had now completely changed, with Ashford looking better than they did in the first half, and Dunston relying on Richardson’s pace in breakaways.

Dunston looked as they might hold on, but three minutes from the end, Micky Phillips beat Clark with a low right foot shot from the edge of the box.

And three minutes into stoppage time, Dunston were beaten with another strike, when a cross came in from the right, and Dan Smith sliced his clearance into his own net.

As soon as the match restarted, the referee blew his whistle for time.