SALISBURY made an exit from their second cup competition in two weeks, losing 4-0, and this was not unexpected against a very strong Conference South Thurrock side.
Assistant manger Barry Blankley said afterwards: "We lost because of basic errors, schoolboy stuff. We went one behind and if we had gone in at the break at that it wouldn't have been too bad, but then another lapse in concentration and it was bang, two down and an uphill struggle.
It should be all about people taking responsibility for their own jobs on the park and those two mistakes cost us."
The Whites matched their illustrious opponents for the first part of the first half but fell to a sucker punch on 39 minutes when Lee Hodges' cross from the left was met at the near post by prolific marksman Cliff Akurang to give his side the lead.
Two minutes later Akurang turned provider to set up Tresor Kandol for Thurrock's second.
After the break Thurrock continued to press with Akurang and Kandol both bringing great stops from Kevin Sawyer before the Whites made their best chance on 58 minutes when Adam Wallace found himself in space in the box but put his header over the bar.
On 60 minutes Kandol put a free header wide and shortly afterwards the Whites were reduced to ten men when Wayne Turk was dismissed for a second bookable offence.
On 69 minutes the Whites were caught going forward and Hodges sprinted into the left side of their area before firing a cross-shot home for Thurrock's third.
After Scott Bartlett had cleared away from the line to prevent a fourth for Thurrock, it was not long before the visitors' Kriss Lee plundered their fourth after a further mix-up in the home defence on 79 minutes.
Blankley concluded: "It was always going to be difficult when we went down to ten men and it became impossible when they got their third.
"They are a very strong physical side and speaking to their manager afterwards he confirmed that they didn't play a lot of football but did play to their strength.
"In Lee Hodges they have a great player but, if we are playing at a higher standard, we have to expect to meet players like him, and if you make mistakes like we did you will get punished."
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