HOLDERS Team Solent are through to the last 16 of the Sydenhams League Cup – but only by the skin of their teeth.

With just five minutes remaining at Test Park last night, the Southampton Solent University side trailed to a Will Tickle goal in their second-round tie against Brockenhurst.

But Jesse Waller-Lassen rode to the rescue, making it 1-1 with a trademark 25-yard strike.

The tie went straight to penalties and, after nine expertly taken spot kicks, Brock's Mitch Speechley-Price unfortunately lost his footing and scuffed his shot, allowing Solent's under-19 Gibraltar international goalkeeper Bradley Banda to save.

The 5-4 shootout win lines up Solent with a trip to Portland United in round three.

Admitting it was a close shave, Students' boss James Taylor said: "We had lots of the ball but, unusually for us, we didn't create enough. We were in control but without making a huge amount of chances.

"There were nine fantastic penalties, you couldn't have seen better, but then Mitch (Speechley-Price) slipped."

With a midweek league trip to Portland already in the pipeline, Brock boss Pat McManus wasn't unduly disappointed to miss out on another, but he was aggrieved by some of the decisions that went against his side.

He felt the Badgers had three clearcut penalty shouts ignored - two for fouls and one for handball - and insists Waller-Lassen twice handled the ball to control it in the build-up to Solent's equaliser.

"Some of the decisions were unbelievable. The refereeing was poor for both sides," said McManus. "James Taylor got booked for something a spectator said, but the major decisions went against us.

"I was pleased with our performance, but not the referee's. I would have felt much more aggrieved if that had been two league points dropped."