Chadderton 0-1 Cheadle Town
Despite there being plenty of half-chances for either side this oddly didn't feel like a classic. Thankfully perseverance paid off for us in the end.
The hosts had the best of the opening quarter of an hour.
Josh Samberg was called into action with 5 minutes gone as he made a good block at his near post and could do nothing about Curley's effort on the 12th minute, the ball fortunately cannoning back off the upright.
Chadderton were in again on 16 minutes as a ball was fizzed across the goalmouth but the player at the far post couldn't connect with the goal at his mercy.
A bit of penalty box pinball granted us our first half-chance two minutes later but nobody was on-hand to slam home with our next opportunity coming just after the half-hour mark: Darrhyl Mason's header from a corner being saved with the loose ball then being skied over the bar by Anthony Trucca.
Josh Samberg then had to make a good save to deny Curley before he was beaten to the ball from a Chadderton free-kick, the resulting header sailing harmlessly over.
He was to deny Curley once more shortly after the restart which proved to be the last time the hosts gave Josh anything to do.
The last twenty minutes of the match were all ours as Chadderton tired.
Darryhl Mason robbed the keeper of the ball on the 70th minute and rounded him, only for his attempts to cut the ball back to be thwarted by the keeper who had made a recovery.
Darryhl was instrumental once again in our next chance a minute later, steaming down the right to deliver a cross for substitute Arnold Nsmibe at the far post only for him to side-foot wide.
With five minutes remaining we thought we had a legitimate claim for a penalty as Darryhl surged into the box and was felled, with the sound of his boot being clipped audible to all on the Cheadle bench; he suffered the same fate three minutes later but yet again no penalty.
In between those two moments Anthony Trucca rose to a Luke Hincks corner but could only plant his header high and not-so handsome.
We were clearly starting to bang our fists on Chadderton's door. Could we push it open before we ran out of time?
Yes, but with only two minutes to spare.
In a match where arguably the final ball and/or end product was lacking from both sides, Danny Vincent chose the right moment to send the perfect cross in from the right for Rick Whyatt to theatrically fling himself at and bury a header from close range.
No rest for the wicked. Another road trip - albeit a short one - on Tuesday night as we travel to Stockport Town.
TEAM: Samberg, Vincent, Magida, Trucca, Birch, Dunn, Hincks, Tongue, Mason, Whyatt, Sherrington (Nsimbe). SUBS: C Jones, Lindon, Nsimbe, Piggott (gk)
