Dunston UTS 2 Ashton United 3.

Dunston UTS had only themselves to blame for not securing a quarter final place in the FA Vase when they lost 3-2 at home to Ashford United after being 2-0 up at one stage.

Dunston squandered a series of chances when they were 2-0 up, and then they had sub Steve Goddard dismissed less than a minute after he came on as sub – and his ten remaining teammates couldn’t hang on.

Manager Billy Irwin, who has now seen his team lose twice at this stage in recent seasons, said; “I’ve never seen a game like it, we had all those chances to win the game at 2-0. Even though we were forced into making two substitutions early on, I thought we adjusted well and we were in control of the game.

“If we’d scored another one at 2-0, then it would have been game over. If Steve Richardson’s lob had gone in instead of going past the post, that would have been it “The game was there to be won, but our legs gave up with ten men near the end. I feel really sorry for Dan who put through his own goal.”

Ashford, from the Southern Counties League, posed the first danger when nippy left winger Ryan Palmer tried a shot on the turn that Dunston keeper 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.

But the two enforced changes didn’t seem to bother Dunston. Morien had another chance on 25 minutes when he picked up a pass from Richardson, and after he beat one defender, tried to round the keeper and had the ball taken off his feet.

Kamurasi pulled off a great save from the corner, when 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 a ball through the middle by Alex Francis 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, when Morien was screaming for the ball unmarked.

Dunston stayed on top in the second half. Francis forced a good save out of Kamurasi from an acute angle, then Burrell fired over from 18 yards.

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. Those misses were to prove costly in the final analysis.

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 for Morien, 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 solely 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 deflected low right foot shot from the edge of the box.

And three minutes into stoppage time, Dunston were beaten, when a cross came in from the right while Dunston maintained that the ball had gone out, and Dan Smith sliced his clearance into his own net.

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

Morpeth are through to a quarter final tie at home to Bristol Manor Farm after they came from a goal down to win 2-1 at Berkhamsted.

The South Midlands league side took the lead with a header by Tom Carter, but Morpeth equalised from the penalty spot through Luke Carr after a defender handled Keith Graydon’s free kick.

Their top scorer, Michael Chilton, scored the winner from a corner midway through the second half.

Berkhamsted’s frustrations got the better of them when they had Dan Edwards dismissed near the end.

Manager Nick Gray, who received a congratulatory call from Peter Beardsley straight after the game, said; “We got better as the game went on after we went a goal down early on, and in the second half we were the better team.

“I’m delighted for Ken Beattie, who has put so much into the club over the years, because it’s the first time that the club has ever got this far.

“We feel that can keep this run going, because we haven’t really hit top form yet. We’ve grounded out results recently.”

Morpeth are now at home to Bristol Manor Farm in the quarter final.