PIERS Walton scored a second-half brace as Malvern Town beat Lincoln United 2-0 to advance in the FA Trophy.
Walton netted twice after the break to seal Malvern’s place in third round qualifying at Ashby Avenue.
Lincoln play at the same level as Malvern in the Northern Premier League East Division.
Lee Hooper’s side almost made the perfect start as both Ryan Brunt and Charlie Johnson saw efforts saved by Lincoln goalkeeper Heath Richardson in the first couple of minutes.
The visitors went close again later in the first half when Levi Francis saw his effort from the edge of the penalty area travel the wrong side of the post.
However, after a goalless first period, Walton broke the deadlock on the hour mark when he finished Ben Baxter’s corner.
And Walton struck again three minutes later when he finished on the rebound after Richardson pushed Francis’s initial header onto the crossbar.
Malvern comfortably saw out the remaining minutes to secure just a second-ever victory in the FA Trophy.
Hooper said: “We were really good, we went out of the blocks and could have scored two in the first couple of minutes.
“It was a bit frantic in the first half. There was a lot of turnover in possession, it was a very transitional game in the first half.
“We put our bodies on the line in the first half and we had a chat at half time about being more composed on the ball and slowing the game down.
“We got our rewards from our delivery from set-pieces which was brilliant.
“It’s another game in the FA Trophy which is where we wanted to have a bit of success and a little run.”
Malvern are next in action against Swindon Supermarine on Saturday, September 27 with kick-off at 3pm at the Imagine Cruising Stadium.
