It took penalty kicks to separate Exmouth Town and Mousehole as the Blues made their way into the next round of this year’s FA Vase.

The game ended goalless before Exmouth converted all of their penalties to win 4-3 via the spot.

Exmouth Town number two Andy Rawlings said: “It was a tough game, evenly fought out against a good opposition side. I know they are from a lower league but we did some homework on them and knew that they would be a tough task.

“To be honest, it could have gone either way but we held our nerves for the penalties. It was very evenly contested. We had chances, they had chances and both goalkeepers did well. It’s always a good day when you win, it doesn’t matter how you get there.”

When asked how the nerves were during the shootout, Rawlings said he had confidence in the players. He said: “It’s out of your hands then, it’s fate so the nerves weren’t too bad. For the lads that went up there, we had full confidence in them and we didn’t miss a penalty which was good. Goalkeeper Robbie Powell also made two cracking saves to win it for us.”

The win means Exmouth will take on Sherborne Town on October 10 in the Second Qualfying Round. Ahead of that fixture, Rawlings said: “We don’t know much about them but we’ve got a chance. We’re in the next round and that’s all we wanted. We’re taking it one game at a time. Going out of the FA Cup means we are glad to still be in the Vase.

“The target is to win [the Vase] but we’ve got to be realistic. We have great fans who love a cup run so hopefully we can just go as far as possible.”

Next up for Town is a return to league action tonight (September 23) as they travel to highflyers Street. Rawlings said: “Street have made a really good start to the season and are right up there.

“When we played there last season, they played some really attractive football so we know it’s not going to be easy. The start of the season for us has been really tough but we’re on the back of consecutive wins so hopefully we can carry that momentum on against street.

“I think cup wins give the players a lift. We were missing a couple so we were patched up a little. Hopefully we get those lads that were missing back so that we are stronger to go up to Street.

Rawlings also took time to highlight the quality of a new signing that has impressed so far this season. He said: “We’ve brought in a young lad called Dan Cullen who can play anywhere across the back four and he’s been tremendous. He’s started every game and hasn’t looked out of place playing at a higher level this year.