Gainsborough Trinity draw Leamington away after avoiding FA Cup banana skin
Gainsborough Trinity will travel to Leamington in the FA Cup second qualifying round after avoiding a potential banana skin on Saturday.
They made to fight all the way at a spirited Sherwood Colliery side before winning 4-2 and now head for Southern League Premier Central side Leamington on the weekend of Saturday, 19th September, the Brakes seeing off Ilkeston Town 3-1.
Victorious manager Russ Wilcox said: “Credit to Sherwood, they're a good side that caused us problems.
“We wanted to get control of the game, but they scored straight after us taking the lead.
"We had a few words at half time and came out a lot better.
“Fraser (Preston) was outstanding and involved in everything we did - goals will give the players confidence, so it was a good day overall.
“The main objective was getting through - and we have done that.”
With the Preston brothers facing each other, it was Trinity's Fraser who opened the scoring.
After a neat turn 20 yards out, he beat Harrison Leech at his near post.
Trinity's lead was short-lived, when Jordan Preston equalised 90 seconds later.
Sherwood loaded the box, but the visitors failed to clear their lines defensively, and the Wood No.9 made no mistake.
Sherwood looked threatening on the turnover, but Gainsborough would have felt deprived when the electric Theo Williams was hauled down inside his own half.
Connor Brown strode onto the loose ball, but the original foul was punished with a yellow, as Brown was through unopposed.
Fraser fizzed an effort narrowly past the angle of post and bar, then expertly freed Brown down the right, the lively forward twisting and turning, before flashing an effort past the post.
On the hour, Kokkonis fired just past the post, before Brown fired Trinity back in front.
Harvey Sutcliffe switched from defence to attack with ease, freeing the striker inside the box, taking a touch before lashing past Leech.
When Williams spun his man on halfway six minutes later, his acceleration took him into the box and his low finish past Leech gave the visitors their cushion.
Lewis Butroid saw one cleared off the line, before Williams added his second and Trinity's fourth, tapping in after Preston and Brown had again combined on the right.
Sherwood did pull one back late on when the impressive Kokkinos steered the ball past the retreating Harrison Beeden on the line.
Feeling he had been fouled in the build-up, keeper David Robson saw red after the final whistle for comments to the referee.