John Coleman hailed his Stanley side after they beat Lincoln City 1-0 in the Bristol Street Motors Trophy round of 32.
Rosaire Longelo scored a 93rd-minute winner in the fixture at the Wham Stadium, which was postponed last week after the pitch was deemed unplayable.
The Reds will host Bolton Wanderers in the next round - a repeat of last season's semi-final, which the Whites won 2-0 thanks to goals from Elias Kachunga and Aaron Morley.
“I am proud of everyone,” Coleman told the club’s YouTube channel. “I thought they were fantastic tonight, from the first minute to the last.
“People will raise eyebrows at the team that was picked because of the age, it was very young, but they have big hearts. I thought they handled the ball a lot better than (Lincoln), created the better chances and fully deserved to win.
“We watched Lincoln, we had done our homework and they are a very good side. They attack well, they defend well, they have good players.
“We nullified their threats very well. Our defence was magnificent and when called upon, the goalkeeper pulled off a couple of great saves.
“I think our midfield had the better of their midfield, we got the wrong side of them time and time again. We passed it well, made chances and thought we could have scored more.
“To turn in that performance against a team of their calibre, I think our players deserve a great deal of credit.”
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