Woking midfielder Matt Ward admitted the Cards made hard work of their FA Trophy win against Havant & Waterlooville.
The Cardinals beat the Hawks 4-2 on penalties after the two sides had played out an entertaining 3-3 draw.
Woking led 3-1 at the Laithwaite Community Stadium before conceding twice in the final ten minutes.
“We conceded three set-piece goals,” said Ward.
“In terms of a threat from open play I don't think they (Havant) had too much and we had lots of chances.
“Three goals doesn't show how many chances we created but we got there in the end on penalties and are through to the next round.
“It would have been nice to see the game out at 3-1.
“It could have been more but it’s a win and it's our first win in quite a while – those are always tough to get.
“I’m happy we've got through but there is definitely plenty to improve on.
“The message going into the penalties was to forget what happened.
“We had conceded two scrappy goals so we had to get that out of our heads and focus on penalties.
“Everyone's got a spot and Will Jaaskelainen made two brilliant saves.”
Ward admitted he his happy with his own form after a number of eye-catching performances in recent weeks.
“In terms of my form I think I've been doing alright,” said Ward.
“I’m trying to play freely and do what I do best, which is to take people on and not shy away from anything.
“I'm happy with my performance but as a team we definitely can do better.”
Woking will host National League North outfit Radcliffe at the Laithwaite Community Stadium in the fourth round proper of the FA Trophy on Saturday, January 4 (3pm kick-off).