King's Lynn Town are 90 minutes away from the first round proper of the FA Cup.

The Pink Un: King's Lynn Town boss Ian Culverhouse Picture: Ian BurtKing's Lynn Town boss Ian Culverhouse Picture: Ian Burt (Image: Copyrighted)

Two second-half strikes, within 15 minutes of the re-start, from Sonny Carey and Jordan Richards secured the Linnets' passage into Monday's fourth qualifying round draw and £11,250 in prize money .

But assistant manager Paul Bastock admitted it hadn't been an afternoon of plain sailing for the Linnets.

"The gaffer (Ian Culverhouse) used his hair dryer at the break," said a grinning Bastock. "We weren't good enough in the first 45 minutes and he reminded the lads of that. We changed a few things and spoke about what we had to do and then you saw the results of that. We went out and got the job done, which means we now have a happy chairman and a happy set of supporters.

"We weren't at our best today and the lads are in the changing room now disappointed with their performances. However, we are through to the next round, complete with a clean sheet, which I'm very pleased with and that's all that matters."

After Ross Barrows' early angled drive had been parried to safety by Danny Roberts the hosts, top of the level four Northern Premier, South Eastern Division, enjoyed a purple patch and could have been ahead as Will Reeves charged down Alex Street's attempted long clearance with the ball bouncing just over the Lynn keeper's bar. Street then redeemed himself with a fine stop to deny James Kirby from close range. Despite all the pressure, Michael Gash almost gave Lynn the lead as his free-kick cannoned away from the post with Roberts well beaten.

The visitors began the second spell in a more confident mood and that confidence grew further with only three minutes of the half played when Carey lashed home a 25-yard drive that Roberts could only fingertip into his net.

Adam Marriott set up Gash, whose shot ended well wide of the target and it came as no real surprise when the second goal of the afternoon arrived just short of the hour. Carey had seen another drive pushed away by Roberts for a corner. From the resulting flag-kick, Richards reacted first to a loose ball, hooking into the net to double the advantage and also break the resolve of the hard-working home team as Town saw out the last third of the game without further alarm.

The big hitters of the National League join the fray for the first time on Monday with the possibility of the Linnets entertaining the likes of Notts County, Barnet or renowned cup fighters Yeovil Town - a fact not lost on Bastock.

"A home draw would really be good for the club," he said. "Personally a smaller team at ours would do me just fine - at least we're in there for the draw."

Leek Town: Roberts, Goode, Keenan, Walford (Law 88), Harrison, Chadwick, Baker, Reeves, Kirby, Short (Twyford 43), Stevenson. Subs not used:: Bott, Bavanganga, Stanton, Walker.

King's Lynn Town: Street, Barrows, Fox (Jones 72), Richards, Smith McAuley, Carey (Stewart 88), Payne, Gash, Marriott, Kelly. Subs not used: Henderson, Bastock.

Goals: Carey 48, Richards 57.

Referee: Robert Massey-Ellis

Attendance: 790