Spennymoor manager Jason Ainsley admitted that his team was knocked out of the FA Carlsberg Vase “with a whimper” when they lost 2-0 to Ashington at the Brewery Field on Saturday.

Moors were one of the favourites to win the competition, but they didn’t make of an impact against the Colliers, who are one of six Northern League clubs in today’s lunchtime draw.

“Defeat is a big blow to us. We’ve won the league twice and we want to do well in the Vase,” said Ainsley. “But too many times now, we’ve gone out of cup competitions with a whimper.

“We had two horrendous penalty decisions go against us, and they had an impact on the game. But we didn’t make their keeper work enough, and we didn’t deserve to go through.”

Moors’ first penalty claim came early on when Gavin Cogdon appeared to be brought down as he ran into the box, and the second was when Bobby Moore claimed that he was thrown to the floor as he waited for the ball in the Ashington penalty area.

Moors had the better of the play in the first half, but Ashington went in front five minutes after half time with an e xcellent free kick by Andy Johnson into the top corner.

Moors missed some good chances to equalise, before Jonny Godsmark ran half the length of the field to score the second.

West Auckland are through after beating Askern Villa 3-2 in South Yorkshire. Skipper Mattie Moffat gave his side the lead when he scored from 15 yards after 8 minutes, but the Northern Counties East League side levelled through Mark Vickerage following a mistake by Neil Pattison.

However, early in the second half Micky Rae restored West’s lead from a pinpoint Stephen Brown pass, and Moffat made it 3-1 when he lobbed the keeper from the edge of the box. Askern pulled a goal back from a setpiece by Tom McLaughlin, but West held on for a place in the last 32.

West Auckland manager Peter Dixon said: “That was a potential banana skin, because I was worried about complacency by our lads if they thought that Askern were as bad as their league position suggests. It still wasn’t our best performance, but at least we’re through.”

Holders Whitley Bay produced their best performance of the season to brush Bridlington Town aside by 5-1.

The visitors missed a good chance in the opening minutes, and they paid for it at the other end when Paul Chow ran on to a long ball and scored with a right foot shot from 25 yards. It was 2-0 when Bridlington defender Wayne Azir turned a Chris Fawcett cross into his own goal, then Chow scored the third from the penalty spot following a foul on Lee Kerr.

Dave Coulson scored the fourth with a header from a Robbie Dale free kick, and after the visitors pulled a goal back, Coulson scored another with a looping header from a David Pounder corner.

Manager Ian Chandler said: “We played some fantastic football in the first half. Bridlington are a good team, but caught us on a bad day for them. The bigger players in our team performed as they do when the Vase comes along. We destroyed them in the first 30 minutes.”

Dunston found life difficult against Parkgate before finally winning 3-1 at the UTS Stadium.

Leading scorer Andy Bulford added another one to his tally when he put his side in the lead on 13 minutes from a Micky Dixon cross, but Parkgate levelled through Adam Shepherd on 25 minutes.

Dunston quickly responded when Chris Swailes sent Steve Goddard racing through to beat the Parkgate keeper. Both sides hit the woodwork, before Goddard finished the game from a Ben Cattanach cross with seven minutes left.

Dunston manager Billy Irwin said: “It wasn’t a comfortable win by a long stretch. Parkgate were a well-organised team, and it might be a while before we play a harder game like that.”

A powerful second half by Billingham Synthonia put them through by 4-0 against Consett at Central Avenue.

Synners, who reached the semi finals six years ago, took a 9th minute lead with a Chay Liddle penalty after Nathan Jameson was brought down, and goals could have been scored at either end before half time.

However, Synners went 2-0 up when left back Danny McWilliams cut in from the touchline and fired past Barry Poskett. Nathan Jameson scored the third from a Matty Crossen pass, and Danny Earl finished off the scoring from a rebound.

Billingham Synthonia assistant manager Lee tucker said: “The early goal was a big help to us, and in the second half we tore Consett apart.”

Newcastle Benfield made it six Northern League teams through to the last 32 when they beat Deeping Rangers 3-1.

However, Deeping took the lead with a long range effort by Matt Heron, but Shaun McAvoy levelled for Benfield from a Jordan Lartey pass. Lartey then created the chance for Micky Chilton to put Benfield into the lead, and deep into stoppage time, McAvoy broke away and scored the third.