TWO goals in each half ensured the Tanners strolled past their Combined Counties League Premier Division opponents to set up a first ever visit to Lingfield in the third round of the Surrey Senior Cup.
After last season's humiliating defeat at Epsom's league counterparts South Park, Leatherhead manager Richard Brady was keen to avoid a similar slip-up and his side responded by taking the lead inside the first three minutes.
Sam Blackman, restored to the team in place of the rested Mark Simmons, played a fine ball through and Kev Terry easily lobbed ex-Tanners custodian Colin Harris who had made Terry's task all the easier by rushing out to the edge of his area in a race he was never going to win.
The game drifted along with little occurring in terms of action until the Tanners were spurred into it on the half hour as they suddenly stepped up several gears and should have put the game beyond their opponents' reach.
Firstly Terry went clear again, but this time he telegraphed his low effort and Harris made a comfortable save down to his left, then Blackman wriggled free down the left wing but his low cross slipped across the goal with no one able to apply a finishing touch.
However, the second goal eventually arrived when in the 37th minute a tempting left wing free-kick delivered by Smart was nonchalantly rolled home by Vernon Francis from six yards out.
Smart then fired a 25-yarder just over, and Terry cracked a low shot narrowly wide as Epsom crumbled in the face of a pre-interval onslaught.
However, they survived without further damage and promptly snatched a goal back after the break when Billy Ramsey netted from close range following a fine save by Louis Wells to initially thwart Kyle Hough.
If the Leatherhead defence had looked all at sea for that goal they positively sank without trace for the next ten minutes as suddenly Epsom were able to cut through at ease and spurned a series of good chances, culminating with the woodwork denying them an equaliser.
Brady decided that was enough, a couple of substitutions were made and suddenly Tanners pulled themselves from their temporary slumber.
Charlie Holness chased down a long ball and though Harris this time won the race he only succeeded in hitting his clearance straight at the Leatherhead midfielder who had the simplest of tasks of walking the ball into an empty net.
Five minutes later Terry went on a mazy run, and bamboozled one defender too many who chopped him to the ground.
Up stepped Mark Simmons, who had only been on the pitch a matter of minutes and he kept up his 100 per cent penalty conversion rate for the season by beating Harris low to his right to seal a place in the third round.
Leatherhead: Wells, Coyle, Boulter, Nnamani, Thompson, Holness, Smart (Simmons 60), Francis Blackman, Ouani (Copeland 60), Terry (Chin 72). Unused subs: Mathias, Bradbrook.
