MICHAEL Bishop's second-half penalty proved enough for Port Saints to sneak past Alstonville FC and into the third round of the FFA Cup.
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Saints registered a 1-0 victory on Saturday at Findlay Park in drizzling rain that made for a tight contest.
Coach Darrell Pascoe was pleasantly surprised at how well his team played in their first match of the season.
"The game was tight and there were chances both way, but I was absolutely blown away by how quickly the boys gelled," he said.
"They were excellent enough, brave enough and talented enough to get the job done."
Pascoe would have been forgiven for feeling a little nervous when Bishop walked up to the spot to take the penalty.
"He missed them all at training on Thursday so a bit of practice probably helped him," he said.
Saints had the opportunity to double their lead moments after Bishop's successful spot kick.
"Their 'keeper came up with an outstanding save that rebounded back into play and then he saved it again," Pascoe said.
"We had our moments and they did as well, but the game really opened up in the second half."
The Saints coach was unable to single out any of his players for special praise.
"I couldn't separate them; all of them played their role," he said.
Saints will now head to Coffs Harbour for a clash with Coffs City United this weekend.
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