A great solo strike from Miles Davis was enough to send Dial into the quarter-finals of the Southern Combination Football League Division One Challenge Cup this evening (10 Nov) at The New Defence.

The former Portsmouth youth prospect opened his scoring account for The Dial in the 76th-minute to give Steve Brown's side a well-deserved win over Reigate Priory in Horley. It was also Dial's ninth clean sheet in 20 league and cup games this season.

Brown made several changes to the side that beat Shoreham at home last Saturday (7 Nov) to give some players more minutes to help with match fitness.

Oluwatomiwa 'Tomi' Bankole came in at right full-back, with Jack Sherwood also making his first start for Dial after signing from Godalming Town last month.

Elsewhere, Luke Taylor and Joss Cooper both returned to the 16-man squad, while Aidan Doran, George Frith, Callum Abraham-Barlow, and Charlie Plant were notable absentees

With Frith and Jimmy Norman not in the starting XI, it was a chance for Ross Ewen to captain the side for the first time.

On a slippery playing surface, Daniel Cenzano was a whisker away from giving Dial a third-minute lead when Daniel Wanyonyi's neat footwork and cross-pass inside the box skidded across goal unchallenged.

Two minutes later, Tommy McKenna’s glancing header went wide of the far post from close range following an inviting left-sided cross from Sam Bull

Davis’ shot was then saved by Andy Greaves from edge of the box, before Wanyonyi’s shot was easily gather after good hold up play from Matt Hinks to create the opening.

Bankole then caught the eye when got passed Ethan Cumming on the byline, only to be brought down by the defender on the edge of the box midway through the first half. And despite Joshua Adjei’s somewhat jocular appeals for a penalty, a direct freekick was awarded.

Cenzano took the resulting set-piece, which was cleared inches wide of the far post for the first of several corner kicks for The Dial.

Shortly after, Hinks thought he had done enough to find a way through, but his toe-poke effort through a crowd of players was cleared off the line from seven yards out.

While Dial remained the dominant force, they still looked vulnerable to the counter attack. And so it proved when Matt Hayes was forced to clear the ball off the line to keep the hosts at bay on the half-hour mark.

Mike Omiron passed up a good opportunity to give Priory the lead just two minutes after the interval when he fired over from the edge of the box following a neat cut-back from Bull.

Cenzano then went agonisingly close five minutes later when his header ricocheted off the bar with Greaves at full-stretch.

With some of the match officiating being greatly disputed by both benches, Brown picked up his fifth caution of the season after overstepping the line of opinion.

In swift response, Adjei’s low 20-yard drive went just wide of the far post, before Cenzano’s shot - from a similar distance - clipped the top of the bar midday through the second period.

However, Dial finally made their pressure count when Davis fired the ball across Greaves from a difficult angle into the far corner to give the visitors a 76th-minute lead.

Super sub Danny Taylor almost made it 2-0 four minutes from normal time, but he dinked his shot over Greaves and inches over the bar too. Dial now wait to see who they will be drawn against in the last eight of the competition.

DIAL SQUARE: Douglas, Bankole (L.Taylor), Sherwood (Cooper), Ewen, Hayes, Apeni, Cenzano, Davis, Adjei (Aziz), Hinks, Wanyonyi (D.Taylor). Unused sub: Norman

MotM: Ross Ewen