Dial progressed to the second round of the Premier Challenge (League) Cup after an emphatic 5-3 penalty shoot-out win against Keens Park Rangers on Saturday (14 Dec).

It was unnerving at times for Steve Brown's side, who came from behind in the dying embers to draw 2-2 (after 90 mins.) before converting all five spot-kicks to get back to winning ways.

With no less than seven regular players missing, Dial were always going to find the going tough against a resourceful Rangers’ side with home advantage.

Experienced shot-stopper Richard Ossai came in for Andy Rider, and Tyler Robison made his debut for the absent Charlie Marshall upfront.

And it was Robinson’s tenacity that gave Dial a 16th-minute lead from the penalty-spot after he was brought down by Nik Krimer in the box.

Robinson, Jordan Carter and Will Neville all had opportunities to extend Dial’s advantage, but it was Josh Downes who equalised for the hosts, against the run of play, on the half-hour mark.

The game ebbed and flowed, with Harry Rice missing a golden opportunity to reinstate Dial’s lead on the stroke of half-time after failing to connect with the ball from six yards.

Dial survived a scare six minutes after the break when Courage Moda managed to side-foot his shot off-target when it seemed easier to score. Luis Emanuel then went close when his cross-shot flew across goal, evading everyone in the six-yard box.

At the other end, Krimer produced a brilliant one-handed save to deny Neville’s powerful header following a great cross from Carter in the 60th-minute. Robinson was also a whisker away from doubling his tally when his header went just wide of the near post after another well-flighted delivery from Carter.

However, it was Rangers who got their noses in front when Moda made the most of some lacklustre defending to fire past Ossai in the 69-minute.

With Dial trailling for the first time it prompted a tactical change, with Brown's side opting for a more direct route to claw their way back into the game.

Three up top almost became five, with Matt Bunyan and Will Neville joining Dial’s armoury in search of an equaliser. And Dial’s late surge finally paid off when Krimer was unable to scramble the ball to safety, paving the way for Louie Rogers to fire Dial level in the 87th-minute, much to the relief of the travelling contingent.

The game proceeded directly to penalties, with Dial winning 5-3 to make an amends for their disappointing county cup loss two weeks earlier.

Speaking after the match. Brown said: “I thought we started brightly and were in control for the first 25 minutes, but we lost our shape when they scored and we were a bit erratic.

“We resulted to playing the long-ball after we gifted them a second goal, which thankfully paid dividends when we equalised late on. However, we certainly missed a lot of chances before we scored, which has been synonymous of many matches this season.

“Although, credit to Jordan [Carter], Dylan [Averiss], Tyler [Robinson], Dan [Cenzano] and Adam [Aziz], whose spot-kicks were superb in the penalty shoot-out,” added Brown.

DIAL SQUARE: Ossai, Averiss, Vass (Linturn), Phillips, Rogers, Neville, Carter, Aziz, Rice (Cenzano), Lawrence (Bunyan), Robinson. Unused subs: Brown

MotM: Will Neville