CONSETT progressed to the 3rd Round of the League Cup with a routine win over a hard-working but extremely limited Darlington RA side. Kenny Lindoe made three changes to the starting XI which had won at Bishop Auckland on Saturday. Barry Poskett resumed in goal in place of Gareth Powell, Ryan Bell came in for Kieran Megran at right-back and Scott Martindale for David Scorer at centre-half. There was also a place on the bench for Jonjo Dickman, who has been out for a month with an ankle injury.

Consett started the brighter, with the visitors seemingly content to sit back and soak up as much pressure as they could. A short corner from Mark Eccles to Danny Craggs saw the ball played in to the feet of Gavin Ross, whose shot on the turn was blocked by RA centre-half David Young. Another Eccles ball in from the left caused havoc in the penalty area when Craggs hooked it back from the byline, and Young almost sliced a clearance into his own net.

A goal only seemed a matter of time, however, though for the second time in five days the Steelmen benefited from a controversial decision when it came on 18 minutes.

Eccles played a deep free-kick from the right beyond the far post, where Dale Burrell headed it back into the middle. Gavin Barton was on hand from barely a yard out to bustle the ball over the line. A deputation of RA players besieged the linesman, claiming that the initial cross had gone out, or that a player was offside, or that the ball had not crossed the line - whatever their gripe, Consett were in front.

On 25 minutes Burrell's cross from the right found Ross, whose neat footwork set up strike partner Barton for a shot which was deflected tamely into goalkeeper Phil Pentony's arms. From his resulting kick, RA had probably their best chance of the game, as they caught the Consett rearguard napping. Striker Paul Freary followed the path of the ball, and found himself in the clear. He lobbed Poskett, only to see his shot come back off the angle of the post and crossbar, with the keeper beaten.

A Craggs free-kick from 25 yards was tipped over by Pentony as Consett continued to make most of the play, but they got the vital second goal on 38 minutes, thanks to the attacking instincts on full-back Ryan Bell. He started a move in his own half, and was on the end of Craggs's final pass into the penalty area when he was brought down by David Tomlinson. The defender was yellow-carded, and Jamie Poole stepped up to slot away the penalty for his 14th goal of the season.

RA right-back James Howlett almost headed over his own goalkeeper as he stretched to reach Carl Piecha's chipped pass for Ross, then left-back Jamie Smith cleared Ross's shot off the line, with his keeper beaten, after the young striker was sent clear in the left-hand channel by Eccles.

Consett went in 2-0 up at the interval, and, given the visitors' limited ambition, which involved getting 9 or 10 men behind the ball every time the home team had it, it seemed only a matter of how many they would concede.

Half time: Consett 2-0 RA

The second-half took up where the first had left off, basically in a game of Attackers v Defenders. Bell tested Pentony with a fierce drive from fully 30 yards which the keeper turned round his left-hand post, and Barton's header from Eccles' corner bounced to safety off the keeper's chest. The next flag kick was deeper, to Piecha at the back post, and he headed down for Craggs, whose goalbound shot was kicked off the line.

A third goal wasn't long in coming, however, and again Eccles was the creator. He swung over an inviting cross from the left, and although it evaded Ross's run to the centre of the six-yard box, Burrell slid in at the back post to scuff the ball home. It was an untidy goal, entirely in keeping with a game where Consett enjoyed the lion's share of the possession, without ever playing the free-flowing football which they have displayed at times this season.

Megran had already come on for Martindale, and with the game won Consett brought on Anthony Lund for Craggs and Michael Coulthard for Piecha, but the changes didn't disrupt the Steelmen's dominance. Barton tried a snapshot from a half-cleared header after Poole's ball was just cut out by the last defender, but a fourth goal on 78 minutes gave the scoreline a more realistic look.

With the crowd starting to get restless at Consett's failure to turn the screw against such unambitious opponents, Coulthard started a move inside his own half which involved five players, and ended with Eccles firing home from 10 yards out.

It could have been worse for the visitors: a defender just got in front of Barton to stop him heading home Eccles' cross from the left, and then Ross didn't get quite enough on his header from Megran's ball in from the right.

Poskett was forced into his first save of the night with a minute remaining when Freary broke clear and the keeper stood his ground to twice save at his feet, with Coulthard mopping up the loose ball. When the whistle went it was very much a case of 'job done' for Consett, on a chilly night in front of a sparse crowd, with the counter-attraction of an England game on TV.

Full time: Consett 4-0 RA

GARY WELFORD