DELIGHTED Radcliffe Borough boss Danny Johnson praised his side's workmanlike performance after clinching a place in the second qualifying round of the FA Trophy.

Two first half goals proved the difference for the Belvoir Stadium outfit as they outwitted fellow Evo-Stik First Division North side Witton Albion 2-1 to set up a clash at Buxton later this month.

Despite the win, Johnson admits his side should have taken more of their chances but were thwarted by an excellent goalkeeping display from Witton's Andy Firth.

The on-loan Liverpool under-21s stopper made a string of saves, most notably from Matt Landregan and Tom Hulme, to deny Boro a bigger winning margin.

"I thought the lads were tremendous. They worked very hard as a team but if we had taken more of our earlier chances Witton would not have had the opportunity of getting back into the game.

"Their goalkeeper was exceptional and pulled off three unbelievable saves in the first half.

"We made it a little difficult for ourselves when they scored and the momentum of the game changed a bit.

"But we deserved to win and I am delighted to get through to the next round."

The Boro boss reserved special praise for striker Bevan Burey who netted his first goal of the season to set the visitors on their way.

The youngster's goal on nine minutes and an own goal from Mark Bainbridge just before the break put Boro in control before Scott Lycett pulled a goal back with 13 minutes remaining.

"Bevan's not been in the side regularly but his effort and application was tremendous and he deserved his goal," said Johnson.

"He played against Northwich and deserved to keep his shirt against Spennymoor too.

"He's so willing and he's got one of the best attitudes, if not the best attitude, of anyone I've worked with. He's a real pleasure to have around the place.

"He's still got a lot to learn but hopefully he'll finish the season strongly for us."

Having already banked £5,200 for victory in the first round, Boro will be looking to add another £3,250 to the cash-strapped coffers at the Belvour Stadium with success over Premier Division outfit Buxton on November 14 but they will have to do it without captain Richard Smith who will miss the tie after picking up his fifth yellow card of the season.

"The chairman (Bernard Manning Jnr) had a big smile on his face at the end of the game on Saturday and rightly so because we need the extra cash that a cup run brings," said Johnson.

"The loss of Ric is a big blow for us. We will definitely miss his presence."

Eighteenth-placed Boro travel to Mossley on Saturday looking to get their league campaign back on track following recent back-to-back defeats against high-flyers Northwich Victoria and Spennymoor Town.

With Aaron Walters and Sam Fitzgerald almost back in contention and no further injuries problems, Johnson knows his team face another test against a side 10 places above them in the table.

"Mossley are in a real purple patch of form," he said.

"We'll go there on Saturday, try to make life as difficult as possible for them and if we can get anything from the game then great if not we will dust ourselves down and move on again."