A solitary Marlon North strike was all that could separate STANWAY ROVERS and HALSTEAD TOWN after 120 minutes of derby action in the Essex Senior Cup third round.

The opening 90 minutes had ended in stalemate on a chilly night at Rosemary Lane and it wasn't until the eighth minute of extra-time that North latched on to Alex Drennan's long clearance before battling his way past Nathan Sharp and drilling a low shot past Paul Rutherford in the Halstead goal.

Both teams will feel they had the right to progress to the next round after keepers at both ends were called into action, but it was eventually Rovers' name that went into the hat as the hosts could not find the elusive goal, despite hitting the woodwork twice.

For a full match report, see tonight's Evening Gazette.