LISBIE IS ROARING AT FORTY

CRAY VALLEY, or Cray Valley Paper Mills FC to give them their full name, were indebted to golden oldie strikers Kevin Lisbie and Gavin Tomlin for keeping their FA Vase Wembley dream alive.

The pair boast a combined age of 75 – but their Football League pedigree and experience proved too strong for Western League leaders WILLAND ROVERS.

Tomlin, the baby of the partnership at 35, gave Cray Valley a first-half lead before Ryan Guppy equalised for the hosts.

The stage was set for Lisbie (above), now 40 but who made his Charlton debut at the age of just 16, to send Southern Counties East outfit into today’s semi-final draw.

After scoring from the penalty spot, Lisbie made it 3-1 in stoppage time.

Cray Valley are joined in the semi-final draw by CANTERBURY CITY, CHERTSEY TOWN and one-time FA Cup giantkillers NORTHWICH VICTORIA.

Lisbie spends his week as a coach at Leyton Orient and could find himself in the intriguing position of playing and coaching at Wembley on the same day.

ORIENT reached the last four of the FA Trophy semifinals with a 2-1 victory at BRACKLEY TOWN.

Both finals will be played at Wembley on May 19, Non-League Finals Day.

Fellow National League promotion hopefuls FYLDE made it past BARNET on penalties after a 0-0 draw.

They, like Orient will hope that their promotion ambitions won’t be scuppered by the fixture congestion caused by the two-legged FA Trophy semifinals.

The same problem won’t hamper SOLIHULL MOORS, who lost 2-1 to TELFORD UNITED. Having taken the option of a replay in preference to penalties, STOCKPORT COUNTY and MAIDSTONE UNITED must play it again after a 1-1 draw.