KIRKHAM skipper Dougie Shaw was in double celebration mood after he led his side into the last four of the FA Vase and on his 30th birthday.
Victory at wind swept Coventry Sphinx on Saturday now leaves our Lancashire heroes with just 120 minutes of football between them and a dream Wembley date in May.
Shaw said: "This was another fabulous performance by the lads.
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"I'm so proud of them today.
"We can go all the way now."
Kirkham, who were sent to Coventry on the back of a 3-3 draw at Kellamergh Park a week ago kept the home side quiet with some determined and resolute defending that snuffed out the Sphinx strike force and set up a semi-final date with Needham Market in a fortnight's time.
And again it was the partnership of Phil Blackwell and Sean Paterson, the same pair who sank Crowborough's hopes in the fifth round, who unlocked the Coventry rearguard, to fire the side into a dream semi-final tie with the
Suffolk side on March 22.
Paterson's 49th minute strike put away in stride from a pass that split the home defence in two by Blackwell, was just the second-half tonic Kirkham needed.
And in what can only be described as a dour and tense battle in the Midlands, Kirkham came with a game plan and it worked a treat as the lively
Coventry forwards time after time were thwarted on the edge of the Kirkham box.
And it was defender Phil Thompson who took the man of the match honours with one of the most outstanding performances of the season.
His work rate just had to be seen to be believed as he time and again turned away the home pressure on the visitors goal.
But Coventry had their moments and looked especially dangerous on corners from which they had 12 to Kirkham's three.
Striker Rob Stevenson, the instigator of most of Sphinx' set pieces had a rasping shot turned away by Pete Summerfield after 27 minutes when he
thought he might have scored.
And when substitute Rick Allen baulked Adrian Fisher on the edge of the box after 75 minutes and was booked for it, there was derision in the Coventry camp when Stafford referee Oli Langford turned away their claims for a penalty.
But Thompson and his fellow defenders, Tony Keefe and Jon Moffatt stood firm to allow the one genuine chance in the game to send the club into the semi-finals.
Boss Mick Fuller said after: "They caused us one or two problems but we defended well today and I think that was key to unlocking their defence just after-half time.
"The players have done a great job. It's fabulous for the club to get this far and who knows where it's going to end."
Kirkham's Michael Horsfall was unlucky too on a couple of occasions not to increase Kirkham's lead following two exciting runs into the danger area that saw Sphinx keeper Ashley Hooker stop one effort with his legs and the other palmed away, although at the other end Summerfield in the visitors goal made a string of comfortable saves as the home side tried in vain to find a way through Kirkham's stone wall defence.
A disappointed Sphinx boss Paul Charnley said later: "It was a close game but I don't think we deserved to loose. Of course we are disappointed that the referee didn't award us, what was a blatant penalty.
"I think if we had got back into it at that stage then it could have been
different.
"But fair play to Kirkham they are a decent side and if l'm honest there wasn't the spark there today from us as there was last week.
"We certainly didn't create as much, and once Kirkham scored it was always going to be difficult to break them down.
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