IT TOOK yet another half-time dressing down from manager Geoff Butler to inspire Bashley's 2-1 preliminary round win over Ryman 1 rivals Ashford Town.

This time, the source of Butler's first-half frustration was his team's inability to turn territorial advantage into serious pressure.

He said: "Ashford made fleeting forays into our half, but we must have had 70 per cent of the play.

"Yet when we got into the final third of the field, we were nothing short of abysmal. Full marks to Danny Gibbons and Andy Culliford for getting into one-on-one positions, but their finishing was so poor that they didn't even extend the keeper.

"We didn't have a clue about how to get round the back of the Ashford defence and I told them at half-time that it wasn't good enough."

It took Bashley only 11 second-half minutes for the penny to drop when Gibbons flicked on defender Paul Gazzard's right-wing cross for Graeme Gee to tuck past the keeper. Ten minutes later Gibbons had a header cleared off the line from Dave Wakefield's corner and top scorer Richard Gillespie reacted first to bury the loose ball.

But, having got themselves into Butler's good books, the Foresters eased off in the closing stages and Barry Gardner punished them three minutes from time with a cool finish from the edge of the area.

"As soon as we think we're a good team, we become a bad one," sighed Butler, whose men head for Conference South outfit Hayes in the next round. But, with his financial hat on, he added: "I'm delighted we're through. We've got ourselves £1,000 and the share of another gate at least."

No such luck for Newport IoW, who crashed 2-0 at the first hurdle at home to on-song Tooting & Mitcham.

The south Londoners travelled to the Island on a run of 11 unbeaten games and they brought up the dozen with a goal in each half at St George's Park.

Port were boosted by the return of former Reading and Gosport midfielder Kevin Youngs, but it was his mistake that gifted John Hastings the opener midway through the first half.

Newport's Simon Pilcher and Adam Barsdell had decent chances either side of that goal, but Tooting struck again on 75 minutes when Jamie Findlay buried a right-foot shot from a corner.

Visiting keeper Jonty Venter was sent off two minutes from time for handling outside the area, but Tooting's lead was never threatened.

Fleet Town face a replay at Tilbury tomorrow after being held 1-1 at Calthorpe Park. Shaun Hale headed the north Hampshire club into a 29th-minute lead, which was almost instantly undone by Danny Harris.

The replay has forced Fleet to cancel a planned meeting to discuss a caretaker manager to replace Mick Catlin, who was sacked as team boss last week.

Player/assistant manager Ian Saunders will continue to run the team for the foreseeable future. Treasurer Steve Cantle said: "Ian has the full support of the management and committee and we would like to think he'd be a candidate for the manager's job if he does well. We have no plans now to appoint a new caretaker manager."