Colchester United 9 Leamington 1

Nothing was going to knock the smiles off the faces of the Leamington players nor their fans.

"At least we've played our part in a ten-goal thriller!" said one Leamington fan, bedecked in black and gold.

Regardless of the fact that Colchester had racked up a second-half goal avalanche to equal their biggest ever victory, the Brakes still enjoyed a day to remember and celebrated the best goal of a nonstop contest.

There seemed little danger when Richard Adams picked up the ball 40 yards from goal on 72 minutes, but the forward stormed forward, jinked to the right and rifled home a 25-yarder into the top corner past the startled keeper.

It signalled joyous scenes among the 1,000 fans who had made the trip from Warwickshire but any thoughts of claiming their first League scalp over a team playing six levels higher had long since vanished. By then they were 7-0 down.

Leamington manager Jason Cadden said: "It was a lovely goal from Richard. He will remember it for as long as he lives."

Even the home fans - in what was the biggest crowd at Layer Road all season - stayed behind to applaud the Midland Alliance minnows on their lap of honour at the final whistle.

So they should. For Leamington, this was their Cup final, a first appearance in the first round proper since 1983 and the final destination in an eight-match Cup comeback which, five years ago, had seemed as unlikely as the Mitchell brothers being on the receiving end of some fisticuffs.

Back in 2000, after 12 years not kicking ball, the club was reformed with, literally, a ploughed field for their home, they had lined up against fulltime professionals in the first year back in the nation's favourite competition.

And for 39 minutes Cadden's men had managed to withstand the home onslaught. They had even threatened when skipper Leon Morgan sent a flashing leftfooter wide and Andy Gregory headed Jon Adams' corner across goal.

But two Colchester goals just before half-time broke the Brakes' resistance. Greg Halford curled a 25-yard free-kick round the wall on 39 minutes and then Wayne Brown prodded home a corner on the stroke of half-time to settle the home nerves.

"If we had gone in at halftime 0-0, then who knows?" said Cadden. "The second goal was the big nail in our coffin."

Having lost to five non-Leaguers during the 1990s, Colchester have been bitten by more underdogs than Dick Dastardly in his cartoon escapades with Muttley. But, with a two-goal cushion, they were simply too professional. And too hungry to let the Brakes off the hook.

Two minutes into the second period, Chris Iwelumo finished off Jamie Cureton's cross and then Cureton broke the off-side trap to cooly slot home on the hour to signal a four goals in ten minute spell. Kevin Watson tapped home from Mark Yeates' burst forward, Yeates thundered in a 25-yarder and then Cureton nodded home the seventh.

Substitute Neil Danns added two more in the final couple of minutes but Leamington were unbowed.

Cadden said: "There's not one lad in my dressing room that had played in the first round before. I'm so proud of them. It's been a great experience and we will learn from it."