The Harriers finally did the job properly today when they knocked another four goals past a plucky Vauxhall side but this time, unlike when we played them back at Aggborough in December and allowed them to come back to 4-4 after we had taken a 3-0 lead early in the game, we managed to keep them out.
Today we had to do it without Iyseden Christie because his registration forms hadn't been submitted to the FA in the correct time span - again. At least we didn't play him this time but if we had then we would probably have been thrown out of the competition later this week.
James Constable, on loan from Walsall, also scored his first hat trick for us and also our first hat trick since Bo Henriksen performed the same feat at Exeter in February 2003. Spookily, City are our opponents in the next round next Saturday.
With a chill wind coming off the Mersey the game got underway at, what admittedly is, Vauxhalls tidy little ground. What we had been told by others was, thankfully, no where near the truth. Still bloody cold though.
The first half was nothing to write home about really with both sides looking nervous of each other but we shaded it in effort and shots on goal. The first chance fell for Man of the Match Simon Russell who sent the ball wide from a Luke Reynolds lay off in front of goal.
Michael McGrath had two chances to open the scoring, one with a header that veered just wide and later on a scuffed shot that hit the base of the post and went out for a goal kick.
The only time that Vauxhall were looking dangerous was through Mike Garrity out on the right. Everything seemed to go through him and once or twice he tested Scott Bevan without really troubling the rock solid keeper too much.
On thirty nine minutes the Harriers swept into the lead. The Harriers were awarded a corner, and proving the theory wrong that we can't score from corners, Jonny Harkness plonked it onto Constables head with pin point precision to hammer it into net from a few yards out.
We didn't seem to want to plough on and increase the lead further and then again Vauxhall didn't seem to raise their game either.