Hythe suffered their first home defeat of 2023 on Saturday, as they were knocked out of the FA Cup in the first qualifying round by Hanworth Villa.

Manager Steve Watt made two changes to his starting lineup from Monday’s abandoned match against Ashford United, as Marcus Goldsmith and Jack Steventon returned to the side, replacing Sam Flisher and Marvin Hamilton.

The first 15 minutes were difficult for Hythe, with the visitors dominating possession and playing a good passing game. However, on 13 minutes Hythe had the first major opportunity of the match, as Jake Embery hit a powerful shot from outside the box which flew just over the crossbar.

Three minutes later, a free-kick from Frannie Collin was nodded wide of the post by Liam Smith.

As the half went on, the ‘Villains’ managed to have more chances on goal – on 28 minutes, Bruno Robertson-Tingle managed to make his way past the Hythe backline, firing a shot towards goal which was eventually picked up by Adam Molloy.

In the 35th minute, the deadlock was broken, as a cross came in from the right hand side of the pitch, which was slotted home by Seanen McKillop.

With seven minutes remaining until half-time, the ball was fired into the box by Brad Schafer, before Jake Embery gained possession, hitting a shot from a tight angle which deflected against a Hanworth player and went out for a corner, which was eventually cleared.

The second half began in similar fashion to the first, with Hythe struggling to create opportunities from their limited possession. Six minutes in, Bruno Robertson-Tingle rolled the ball over to Kyen Nicholas, who hit a shot towards an open goal which was narrowly cleared off the line by Liam Smith.

Five minutes later, George Wells fired the ball towards goal from outside the box, before or was palmed away for a corner by Adam Molloy. As the game drew to a close, the visitors managed to score their second – substitute Sam Mead played the ball across goal to Sam Merson, who slotted home into an empty net to seal the victory.

Hythe supporters and players can be forgiven for feeling a little dissapointed – after all, it had been a long time since the Cannons had lost at Reachfields, and Hanworth Villa can be pleased with the performance they put in. The Cannons will need to pick themselves up and prepare for their return to the league, as they travel to Burgess Hill Town on Saturday 9th September, with the match kicking off at 3pm.

Team: Adam Molloy, Marcus Goldsmith (Sam Flisher 83 mins), Bradley Schafer, Jack Steventon, Liam Smith, Lex Allan, Aaron Barnes, Ethan Smith (Charles Noyelle 71 mins), Johan Caney-Bryan (Kai Garande 79 mins) , Frannie Collin, Jake Embery.

Sub Not Used: Jarred Treparderne.

Scorers: Hanworth Villa  – Seanen McKillop 35 mins, Sam Merson 78 mins)

Yellow Card: Bradley Schafer 40 mins. 

Attendance: 319