Marin held on to beat Radcliffe 3:2 in the FA Cup 2nd Round Qualifying on Saturday. The hosts ground out the win despite a late scare, moving into the next stage of the competition. And here's the thing — it wasn't always going to be straightforward for the home side.
Marin came into this fixture on the back of five straight victories. They had beaten Bootle 2:0, Warrington Town 2:1, Preston 3:0, Prescot Cables 1:0 and Colwyn Bay 2:0 in recent weeks. The momentum was clearly with the home crowd.
Radcliffe, by then, had been far less consistent. Their last outing saw them lose 1:3 away to Bury, and before that they had drawn with Barrow and Shrewsbury before losing to Mossley. Only their win against Glossop North End had given them any real confidence.
Five goals in total, and the match swung back and forth more than once. To be fair, neither side played with the kind of control that makes these ties safe, but the home side showed enough composure when it mattered.
This result keeps Marin's cup dreams alive and puts a dent in whatever rhythm Radcliffe had been building. The away team will look at those two losses and wonder where it went wrong.