WITHAM Town manager Mark Benterman knows his team can’t afford to be out-worked as they were in their initial FA Cup outing at FC Clacton when they face the Seasiders in a replay on Tuesday night.

The two clubs will have to meet in a replay at the Simarco Stadium after drawing 1-1 in their first preliminary round meeting last weekend.

After dominating the game, Thurlow Nunn League premier division side Clacton were the more dominant against an opposition who play their league football at the level above and Benterman will be looking for better from his team in the rematch.

He said: “I think Lady Luck must have been on our side because we don’t deserve to still be in the FA Cup.

“How we stayed in it, I do not know.

“We somehow got to take it to a replay, but they were the ones who deserved it.

“Full credit to them as they out-worked us, showed more desire and showed they wanted the prize money more than us.

“That’s what you get in the FA Cup, but at least we live to fight another day.

“We stayed unbeaten, though, and had someone said to me that we’d be like that after the first week of the season, then I’d have said ‘great’.

“But we were well below our levels (in that first meeting) and I could only apologise for that.

“We are still in the FA Cup though, and we still have that opportunity to claim that prize money that most clubs are dying for.

“However, you have to give credit to the opposition.

“They deserved to win it as they were faultless, so fair play to our lads for doing the naughty side and at least managing to grind it out to get it across the line.

“We are just pleased to still be in the hat.

“It was just unfortunate that we met a side who wanted it more and played better football.

“They deserved it; sometimes in football you just have to be gracious and say the opposition deserved it.

“So we roll our sleeves up, go again and look to put it right when we meet again on Tuesday in the replay.

“We were disappointed in ourselves more than anything else, but we will regroup and go again."

Benterman's chief concern from an under-par performance was that he felt his team were out-worked by Clacton and he said he would not accept that from a side that he was in charge of.

He added: “We have always said to the players to be coachable, but work rate and heart and desire always go a long way at this level.

“We had that in abundance in our first two league games and got our rewards.

“It was the reverse at Clacton where we were just happy to come away with a draw and have the chance to fight another day.

“The boys have to realise what is required of them.

“They got out-worked at Clacton and I don’t like to see that from any of my sides.

“That’s a negative for me.

“If you are beaten by a bit of quality then fair play, but not to be out-worked.

“We can only get better.

“We were that bad and they still couldn’t beat us so we can at least take that bit of confidence into the replay."