Dereham Town managed to avoid a potential banana skin in Tuesday night’s Norfolk Senior Cup quarter-final at Mundford Road as they came from behind to see off Thetford Town.

In the end the Magpies just about did enough, after upping their game having gone behind, as two goals in as many minutes booked their place in the semi-finals.

On a testing pitch, Dereham started slowly, showing signs of fatigue after a hectic recent fixture schedule.

Bruno Tavares almost capitalised after Matt Howard got caught out but he fired his shot wide from a tight angle.

Dereham improved as the half went on and 12 minutes before the break Craig Bussens was gifted a glorious opening one-on-one but was too slow to pull the trigger and the half ended goalless.

Just three minutes into the second period Sam Bryant rattled the inside of Andy Wilton’s post and on 54 minutes Shane Leech turned past two Dereham defenders before firing into the bottom corner of the net.

Just seven minutes later Michael Clunan pulled the Aldiss Park side level, after Frazer Blake-Tracy had delivered an excellent cross following an athletic solo break.

Less than a minute later and with Thetford switching off Ryan Hawkins fired a powerful long-range shot into the net, despite Thetford protesting about an alleged dive.

The hosts threaten from a pair of corners late on, with Bond seeing his shot sidefooted off line at the left post by Ollie Willis.

Thetford defender Elliott Smith saw red late on, after he picked up a cheap second yellow card for a foul on Matt Hockley, as the Magpies held on.

Thetford: Cruickshank, Bond, McIntosh, H Smith, E Smith, Propustins, Pearson, Leech, Tavares, Skipp, Bryant. Subs: Bailey, Dean, Standley, Fancett, Szyszlyk.

Dereham: Wilton, Willis, Blake-Tracy, Borrer (Barker 46), Howard, Sturman, Kay (Hockley 72), Bussens, Page (Hilliard 57), Hawkins. Subs: Eastoe-Smith, Mason.

Referee: Mr J Turner.

Attendance: 121.

• In the other Senior Cup ties Norwich United welcome Gorleston on Saturday while next Tuesday Wroxham host Scole and Diss entertain King’s Lynn.