Man of the match Wiles earns Scarborough Athletic an FA Cup draw at Dunston

With Bailey Gooda missing through suspension, and Thornton, Colville and Duckworth all still absent through injury or illness, reserve players Nathan Heaton and Luke Rees were added to the squad, the latter coming on from the bench to make his competitive first-team debut, writes Steve Adamson.

The Boro coach was stuck in traffic en route, causing the kick-off to be delayed 15 minutes, and Jono Greening’s side were on the back foot for the first half-hour, as the energetic hosts began strongly, without troubling keeper Ryan Whitley.

Jude Swailes and Dale Pearson both fired wide, and Harvey Neary lifted the ball towards Scott Robson in the area, but Alex Brown’s superb sliding tackle averted the danger.

Michael Pearson closed down Brown when he raced into the area, Jack Walker tackled Harry Green as he ran onto Dom Tear’s through-ball, and Frank Mulhern headed wide from an Alex Purver corner.

The first real chance of the game came on 34 minutes, when Kieran Glynn passed out to Green on the left, and he sent over a cross to the back post that was headed narrowly wide by Tear.

This signalled a spell of Boro dominance, Mulhern squared to Cam Wilson inside the six-yard box, but Swailes scrambled the ball clear, then Mulhern sent Wilson through on goal, but he scuffed his shot, giving keeper Dan Lowson an easy save, and just before the interval Green capitalised on a defensive mix-up, but fired wide of the right-hand post.

Early in the second half Alex Wiles shot narrowly wide after good work from Glynn, before Dunston went ahead with a fabulous goal on 51 minutes. David Robinson laid off to Phil Turnbull, who curled a left-foot cross into the goalmouth, and Scott Robson powerfully headed home at the back post.

Boro responded immediately, Tear squaring to Wiles, whose 25-yard shot took a massive deflection off Turnbull, and cannoned inside the left-hand post.

Then a Purver corner was cleared towards Wiles on the edge of the area, and he unleashed a stinging shot that forced a terrific diving save from Lowson, and Weledji headed a Mulhern cross inches past the left-hand post.

A Richie Bennett cross was headed over by Green, Bennett had a shot tipped over by Lowson, and Glynn dinked a pass forward to Bennett, but the big striker was closed down by Walker, then Wiles fired wide and also had a 20-yard shot smothered by the home keeper.

Dunston were on top in the latter stages, Pearson had a shot blocked by Bennett, Josh Gilchrist dinked an effort wide, and Whitley got down quickly to save a shot on the turn from Sado Djalo.

Turnbull fired just over, and in stoppage time both Turner and Gilchrist sent balls across the Boro goalmouth, but Djalo couldn’t apply the finishing touch from close range.

DUNSTON - Lowson, Baxter (Turner 75), McDonald, Turnbull, Swailes, Walker, Neary, Pearson (c), Robson (Djalo 75), Robinson (Gilchrist 80), Pearson (Coulson 84)

BORO - Whitley, Tear, Brown, Weledji, Maltby, Purver (c) (Rees 86), Green, Glynn, Mulhern (Maloney 79), Wiles, Wilson (Bennett 57)

REFEREE - Liam Smith

GOALS - DUNSTON - Scott Robson 51 BORO - Alex Wiles 56

GOAL ATTEMPTS - DUNSTON 10 (3 on target) BORO 15 (6 on target)

CORNERS - DUNSTON 3 BORO 5

OFFSIDES - DUNSTON 1 BORO 2

YELLOW CARD - DUNSTON - Dan Turner

BORO MAN OF MATCH - Alex Wiles

ATTENDANCE - 524 (140 away)​