Westfield sealed their spot in the first qualifying round of the Emirates FA Cup, but were made to work for it as they beat a hard-working and tough Sherborne side 3-1 in the preliminary round on Saturday afternoon.

Backed by good travelling numbers, the Wessex League Premier Division visitors started well and Hugo Sobte had to tip Alex Murphy's effort onto the bar early on before Westfield debutant Lui Edwards created several chances for himself which were not taken.

The scoring was opened in the 39th minute when Sekou Toure outjumped Sherborne keeper Liam Norris and hooked home the rebound over the covering defenders. On the stroke of half-time the Dorset side levelled when a mistake at the back allowed Murphy to race through and he showed excellent composure to slot past Sobte.

The Yellas were much improved after the break and were finally rewarded when Edwards bundled home for a deserved debut goal after superb work by half-time substitute Richard Afrane-Kesey.

Sherborne continued to pose a threat but the game was wrapped up in stoppage time when Edwards was on hand to finish after good work from substitute Calvin Camara.

Westfield’s reward for beating Sherborne Town is a home tie against Isthmian League Premier Division outfit Chatham Town in the first qualifying round on Saturday, August 31.

Westfield player-manager Andy Crossley was delighted with Saturday’s win.

“I’m really pleased,” said Crossley. “The FA Cup is all about getting into the next round. The first half was a bit dogged. We did alright. We missed a few chances. Second half we were much better. I thought the subs did really well coming on, making an impact. We're in the next round. That was the main goal and we've done that.

“We had a really good week of training. The coaching staff did a great job at making sure the sessions were good. We worked a lot on defensive shape and attacking – how we were going to get goals – and we scored three.”

Crossley was appointed player-manager this summer after previous boss Ian Selley left for fellow Isthmian League South Central Division outfit Leatherhead, and he admitted he will take time to get the team playing exactly how he wants.

“It's going to take time,” said Crossley. “We've got a lot of new players in the group so it's going to take time for them to build those relationships. We're starting to get everyone fit now, which is really good. There's some good signs in training and the games so we’ll see how the season works out.”

Next up for the Yellas is an away game at Uxbridge in the Isthmian League South Central Division on Saturday afternoon (3pm kick-off).