Stafford Rangers 0 Marine 2 - Report

Battling both the searing conditions and the difficult playing surface, it was no surprise that either side found it difficult to find rhythm in the encounter.

When chances did make themselves known, a lack of composure often escaped the man in possession, best seen when Nathan Blissett dragged wide of the mark from the right of the penalty area on 11 minutes.

Joe Willis went closer still for Boro, albeit from a distance, when cracking his left-footed attempt spinning away marginally past Felix Goddard’s goal.

The Mariners, with their first true opening of the encounter, would make Rangers pay on 28 minutes.

Latching into Louis White’s incisive ball, Finlay Sinclair-Smith drifted inside from the left of the penalty area and, with his initial attempt spilled by Joel Torrange, Darius Osei was on hand to bundle home.

Sol Solomon should have doubled the lead five minutes later when capitalising on a mix-up in defence to stride through on goal, but like Blissett, could only pull wide.

Kaiman Anderson would fumble a golden opportunity to level before the break, evading both goalkeeper and marker to meet a left-wing centre but heading wildly off target.

A sweeping move from defence to attack saw Solomon force an excellent low stop from the legs of Torrange moments after the restart, following trickery on the left flank from Sinclair-Smith once again.

In truth, Marine should have made their superiority pay but for the heroics of Torrange to stop further opportunities from substitute Will Russ and Solomon.

A second for the visitors would arrive when Solomon was found in acres of space with the Stafford defence left wanting and, with Torrange felling the Lilywhites forward, the same man stepped up to tuck the ball underneath the goalkeeper from 12 yards on 78 minutes.