MARINE boss Neil Young said he was proud of his players after they caused a big shock by beating Colchester United in the FA Cup.

The Northern Premier League Division One North West side won 5-3 on penalties at the JobServe Community Stadium, after their first-round tie with the U's had finished 1-1 after extra-time.

Anthony Miley gave Marine the lead in the first half and although Harry Pell cancelled it out in the second half, the non-league side kept battling.

The tie went to extra-time and penalties and Michael Howard scored Marine’s winning spot-kick to book their place in Monday's second-round draw.

Young said: “It’s a very proud day for myself and it’s a very proud day for Marine Football Club.

“We knew that we were going to come under a lot of pressure.

“Technically, they’re very good and they’ve been strong at home.

“We knew that they were going to keep going and after taking it to extra-time, they probably thought they’d go on and win the game as obviously fitness comes in then.

“But you can see why we’ve won nine on the bounce now because they don’t give in.

“There’s seven or eight lads under the age of 20 or 21 and they stick to the task.

“We hadn’t practised penalties – we got through an earlier round on penalties.

“I’m made up for Michael Howard as he actually missed a penalty recently and he’s gone on to get the winning penalty off the bench, which will give him lots of confidence.”

Meanwhile Marine captain Niall Cummins said their win at Colchester has created memories that will last a lifetime.

There were jubilant scenes at the end, as Marine's players celebrated one of the biggest results in their history.

Cummins said: “The gaffer told us to go and make our own memories – you can tell a story about the FA Cup and everyone has done that.

“We executed a very good game plan.

“We knew exactly what to do and their centre-half was a bit bewildered – while I was stood next to him he said ‘what are you doing, I’ve never seen this before’.

“Basically it was our game plan and I think it worked.

“I don’t think they had a shot in the first half and it just went exactly how we wanted.

“We rode our luck a little and fitness did kick in but apart from that, I thought we did very well.

“It’s unprecedented for the club to be in round two and we’re all absolutely over the moon."