HINCKLEY United manager Dean Thomas has paid tribute to Kirkley and Pakefield after their gallant FA Cup journey came to an end. He said: "Credit to Kirkley, they were strong and made life difficult for us, especially when they nicked an early goal and it gave us a bit of a kick up the backside.

HINCKLEY United manager Dean Thomas has paid tribute to Kirkley and Pakefield after their gallant FA Cup journey came to an end.

He said: "Credit to Kirkley, they were strong and made life difficult for us, especially when they nicked an early goal and it gave us a bit of a kick up the backside.

"From then, we controlled the game and probably had 75% of possession but it was falling down in the final third.

"I knew they'd pack their defence and make life hard for us so we tried to get the ball out wide. We knew we had to stay patient and wait for out opportunities.

"It wasn't a classic by any means, but the important thing was we are through to the next round."