Ware deserved this victory against Step 5 opposition but their policy of containment in preference to going for the kill could have been their undoing. They started well with first Pat Adamson’s drive into the Takeley area followed minutes later by Jordan Westcott getting free on the right to collect a deep ball towards the corner before delivering a dangerous cross.

Both chances resulted in corners but no breakthrough. That came on 15 minutes when some neat passing on the edge of the area ended with Marcus Milner slipping the ball between defenders for Liam Hope to run onto. With only Sam Soutar to beat Hope had no trouble in putting the ball in the back of the net.

That might have been the signal for the floodgates to open but Takeley were having none of it. They started to grow into the game and Coby Miles (son of Damon Miles whose 168 goals make him the third highest scorer in Ware’s history) brought a good save out of Brad Robinson who tipped his long range effort over the bar. Robinson was in action again a little later scrambling to hold a low cross in front of goal and needing a defender to clear as the ball bobbled out of his grasp.

In the main however Ware looked solid in defence, where Westcott had replaced the departed Finlay Titchmarsh at right back, but lacked much incisive movement at the other end of the pitch.

They looked sharper in the second half and scored again within the opening 15 minutes. This time a Tom Bruno corner from the right came in close to the penalty spot. There was Leigh Rose, sporting a new hairstyle but still playing his usual all action role and now as captain, to rise beyond a tardy defence to head home powerfully for goal number two.

Again Takeley refused to capitulate and the game continued as a mostly even struggle for much of the rest of the game. Ware’s experienced players were perhaps content to demonstrate their ability to keep their opponents at bay. However, when Reece Crowter and then Liam Dulson (making his competitive debut for the club) came off the bench to join forces with Robbie Buchanan there was a shift from experience to youth which showed itself in more activity in front of the Takeley goal.

But for all their efforts it wasn’t Ware who added to the score. Instead things got interesting three minutes into added time at the end of the game. Coby Miles must have delighted his watching father by carving his way through the home defence before firing into the roof of the Ware net to reduce the arrears.

Had this come five minutes earlier there might have been quite a finish to a game that had otherwise failed to fully engage a sizeable crowd but with little more than a minute left Ware were able play out time. They now receive Hashtag United in the next round in a fortnight’s time but before that they are at home again next Saturday when they must up their game against Kidlington at the start of their league programme.

Ware: Bradley Robinson, Jordan Westcott, Pat Adamson, Tom Bruno, Dave Kendall, Dan Rumens (Louis Rose 64mins), Marcus Milner, Leigh Rose, Liam Hope (Liam Dulson 71mins), Robbie Buchanan, Chris Arthur (Reece Crowter 58mins). Unused subs: James Mulley, Rechan Esprit.