TORPOINT Athletic joint boss Dean Cardew admitted he was ‘incredibly proud’ after they reached the FA Cup Second Qualifying Round for the first time in their history on Saturday with a 3-1 victory at Royal Wootton Bassett.

The Point, who endured a nightmare journey due to an accident on the M5, trailed to Marcel Lewis’ goal at the break, but produced a superb second half performance and goals from man-of-the-match Sam Pearson, Tom Payne and Ryan Richards to set up a tie with newly-promoted National League North outfit Merthyr Town next Saturday (September 13, 3pm).

Reflecting on a remarkable afternoon at the Gerald Buxton Sports Ground in Wiltshire, Cardew told the Cornish Times: “Yesterday was a truly proud moment for everyone involved with the club.

“I’m incredibly honoured to have led us into the second qualifying round of the FA Cup for the first time in our history—a significant milestone for the club.

“But more than anything, I’m immensely proud of the players for how they conducted themselves throughout a challenging day.

Spending six hours on a coach is difficult for anyone, but to then step off and deliver a performance against a very strong side—with just 40 minutes of preparation time—was an extraordinary ask.

“The circumstances were nobody’s fault, and we’re extremely grateful to the match officials and to Royal Wootton Bassett for their patience, flexibility and understanding.”

The hosts also play at Step Five – in the Hellenic League Premier Division – and started off strongly against their Western League Premier Division opponents.

Cardew continued: “Despite the disruption, the players switched on quickly and prepared themselves as best they could.

“From the first whistle, it was clear we were facing a well-organised, highly-motivated team combined with testing weather conditions.

“We fell behind early, which lifted their crowd and made an already tough day feel even longer. Our focus then became simply staying in the game until half-time. The players dug deep, defended superbly, and showed real resilience to keep the score at 1-0 going into the break.”

Coaching staff earn their corn at half-time and Cardew admitted they knew they needed to be better.

He said: “At half-time, we had a good, honest discussion about the challenges we’d faced in the first half – and how we could turn those to our advantage.

“We spoke about using the wind intelligently, but also emphasised the need to improve our quality on the ball, stay composed, and trust our ability to turn the game around.

Thankfully, that’s exactly what the players did. From the restart, we were on the front foot and scored two quick goals to seize control.

“Credit to Royal Wootton Bassett – they responded with a triple substitution that shifted momentum back their way, applying real pressure in search of an equaliser. But we remained positive, determined not to just protect a one-goal lead. That approach paid off, with Ryan Richards scoring late to secure the victory.”

The Point were backed by a large following and Cardew was keen to offer his gratitude.

He concluded: “It was fantastic to see so many committee members and supporters who made the long journey to be with us—it really shows how much this means to everyone at the club and it was a great feeling to reward their commitment with a memorable result.

“It’s safe to say, the coach journey home was much more enjoyable than the one up!”