Lancing hold their nerve to dump Saltdean out on penalties

The sides could not be separated after 90 minutes, finishing 2–2, before the visitors prevailed 5–4 in the shoot-out to book their place in the next round.

It was exactly the sort of cup tie that makes midweek non-league football so compelling: a lead, a turnaround, a goal six minutes into added time and finally the pressure of penalties to decide who went through.

Saltdean struck first after 27 minutes through Herbie Rogers, giving the home side the advantage and putting Lancing in the position of having to chase their way back into the contest.

But the Lancers responded.

Rather than allowing the opening goal to knock them out of their stride, Lancing found a way back into the game and then turned the tie completely on its head. Goals from Khedidji and Sharpe transformed a 1–0 deficit into a 2–1 advantage, leaving the visitors within touching distance of progression as the match entered its closing stages.

For long periods it looked as though that would be enough.

Saltdean, however, had one final moment left in them. With the clock having ticked deep into stoppage time, Alfie Mitchell struck in the 96th minute to level the scores at 2–2.

For Lancing it could hardly have been a more frustrating moment. Having battled back from behind and put themselves in front, they had seen their advantage disappear virtually at the death. Psychologically, the momentum might easily have swung completely towards the home side.

Instead, Lancing regrouped.

With the scores level at full-time, the tie went to penalties — and suddenly an entire evening of cup football came down to nerve from 12 yards. Both sides showed remarkable composure from the spot, but it was Lancing who eventually came through.

Saltdean 4. Lancing 5.

The Lancers had survived.

After conceding so late in normal time, winning the shoot-out demonstrated plenty of character from a Lancing side that could easily have allowed the disappointment of Mitchell's last-gasp equaliser to affect them. Instead, they reset, converted the penalties that mattered and left Hill Park with their name safely in the next round.

For Saltdean there will inevitably be disappointment. They had taken the lead, fought their way back from 2–1 down and produced the sort of 96th-minute equaliser that normally feels like the beginning of a great cup escape. This time, however, the comeback ended at the penalty spot.

For Lancing, it capped another positive few days following their 3–1 league victory away at Horsham YMCA on Saturday.

Cup football rarely cares how you get through. Sometimes it is a comfortable victory. Sometimes it is a late winner. And sometimes you concede in the 96th minute, dust yourself down and somehow find five successful penalties when the pressure is at its highest.

On this occasion, that was Lancing.