BRAVE Hartley Wintney suffered FA Cup heartbreak at Eastbourne Borough on Saturday, conceding an injury-time winner after fighting back from two goals down.

The hosts, who play their football in National League South, three levels above the village side, looked to be cruising to the fourth qualifying round when they made it 2-0 on the hour.

Hartley had been under pressure for the entire game, but they responded brilliantly, with goals from Liam Eagle and Sam Argent drawing them level.

They were inches away from taking the lead when Adam Everiss saw his shot rattle the crossbar, and with the game entering the third minute of injury-time, looked destined to earn a money-spinning replay.

Unfortunately for the north Hampshire outfit, it was not to be. Hartley goalkeeper Craig Atkinson, who was outstanding throughout, diverted Kane Haysman's shot onto the post and denied the same player again seconds later.

However, the second save came at the expense of a corner, which was swung into a congested goalmouth, allowing Nathaniel Pinney to nod over the line from close range.

It was a cruel end to Hartley's fine cup run, which had seen them beat a trio of Southern League sides, but the final outcome did little to negate the pride felt by joint manager Daniel Brownlie.

He said: "Straight after the game, I was disappointed, but that was based on the fact that we were so close.

"I am immensely proud of our FA Cup adventure as a whole. Nobody outside our camp will have thought that we would even go close, but we competed with a National League South side for 90 minutes and did not look out of place."

Brownlie admitted that Eastbourne were good value for their place in the next round, with Atkinson making a couple of good saves before the hosts took a 16th-minute lead.

Darren Lok opened the scoring with an acrobatic overhead kick, having seen his initial effort come back off the post, but try as they might, Eastbourne could not add to their lead before half-time, with Joe Parris, Callum Eagle and Tom Walsh all clearing off the line.

Hartley made a strong start to the second half, with Steve Noakes and Aaron Parfitt both going close, but the game looked over when Haysman took advantage of a weak punch from Atkinson to score with a looping header.

Instead of folding, Hartley pushed on, with a shot cleared off the line before Liam Eagle pulled a goal back, nodding home after Noakes had headed across goal.

With nine minutes left, Argent squared the tie, cutting in from the left and fizzing a low shot into the bottom corner.

The visitors looked for a winner, but Everiss was denied by the woodwork and Argent fired a clear chance wide, and it was Eastbourne who had the final say.

Hartley are back in action tomorrow night, hosting Horley Town in the Combined Counties League cup.