Brockenhurst 0 - Bath 3

The 39-year-old Brockenhurst defender/manager admitted: "I'm doing the right thing giving up" after being turned inside out by a quality Bath City attack in Saturday's 3-0 FA Cup third qualifying round defeat at Grigg Lane.

It brought the curtain down on a memorable cup run by the New Forest club, who had brilliantly fought through four previous rounds against Broadbridge Heath, Burgess Hill, VCD Athletic and Conference South outfit Lewes - despite being drawn away on each occasion.

Ultimately the Sydenhams Wessex League underdogs had no answer to the slick passing and movement of Gary Owers' side, but after more than two decades in the game Kemp believes his young players should cherish their achievement.

The former Dorchester, Bashley and Lymington campaigner said: "I've been in football 22 or 23 years and there are only about three big games like this that stick in my memory.

"These occasions don't come around too often and I want the players to celebrate what we've done rather than dwell on the result.

"I've no complaints today. We competed for an hour, but we were beaten by a better side. We didn't play as well as we can do, but that was down to Bath. Whereas Burgess Hill and Lewes sat off us, Bath closed us down.

"Their strikers were constantly chasing us back and harrassing us, turning us this way and that. It felt like I'd got a broken rib or had a really bad stitch!"

Although Bath dominated, so stubborn was Brock's resistance that it took them 50 minutes to chisel out a lead with a cheeky backheel from dangerman Scott Partridge.

Two minutes later came the turning point of the match when Nick Kemp's pass found Brock striker Alan Wright, who was felled by Bath defender Steve Jones inside the area.

Player/coach Paul White stepped up to the spot, but in trying to place his kick he sacrificed the power and Bath keeper Paul Evans made a comfortable save to his right.

Many in the ground, including Kemp, felt Jones should have walked. The Brock boss said: "How the referee didn't send him off, I don't know. Even though we missed the penalty, it would have been 11 v ten which might have changed the game."

Instead, it was Brock who ended up short-handed when 17-year-old defender Dominic Bryan got his 66th-minute marching orders for deliberate handball on the line.

It was an understandable reaction by the youngster as Brock's under-siege defence looked in danger of collapse.

Partridge had turned the screw by converting an excellent low cross from Williams to make it 2-0 on the hour and it needed a top-drawer save from Brock's outstanding keeper Iain Brunnschweiler to thwart Williams's 30-yard shot on the turn five minutes later.

Brunnschweiler then parried an Alex Sykes effort and as Williams rifled in the follow-up, Bryan instinctively tipped it over the bar, inviting Partridge to complete his hat-trick from the spot.

Despite his tender age, Bryan was a colossus at Lewes and Kemp acknowledged: "He's been as a big a part of this cup run as anyone, so I won't have a go at him. He's a very accomplished player, if a bit nave at times, and I've got nothing but praise for him."

Kemp had praise too for 24-year-old former Hampshire wicket-keeper Brunnschweiler who, as early as the fourth minute, made a terrific block from Williams at his near post.

He said: "Brunnschy was terrific. If it hadn't been for him, we'd have been two down in a quarter of an hour.

"I've a feeling we aren't going to keep hold of him for long. If we'd played all local sides on this cup run, someone would have come in for him by now."

The introduction of substitutes Lee Winsall, Dan Marks and new left-back signing Carl Woodward from Poole Town breathed fresh life into Brock late on with Wright having a goal disallowed for offside and Winsall rattling the crossbar from Wright's cross.

Brock have £7,500 from the FA prize fund to comfort them, but Kemp said: "I'm sure the chairman will be happy with that, but I'd rather have got a result."