Lymington & New Milton 0 - Crawley Town 2

Lymington & New Milton may be out of the FA Cup, but they are ready to give Eastleigh and company a run for their money in one of the most open Wessex League title races for years.

Although outclassed by their lofty Southern League visitors, Crawley Town, in the second half, the Linnets did enough in the opening 45 minutes to suggest they will drastically improve on their sixth-placed league finish of last term.

It took the Dr Martens table-toppers 69 minutes to break the Foresters' brave resistance through ex-Wimbledon and Oxford United midfielder Peter Fear.

But, though Crawley were running the show by then, the picture could have changed dramatically following the introduction of Linnets' substitute Nick Miles.

He had been on the field for just six minutes when fellow sub Paul Sims sent him away with a precision through pass but, with an 87th-minute equaliser beckoning, the former Bournemouth and Salisbury frontman steered his shot about two feet wide of the post.

Two minutes later it was all over for the Linnets when they fatally surrendered possession for a second time and Crawley sub Danny Hockton rifled home a killer, late strike.

"I'm gutted, but they deserved to win on their second-half display," admitted Linnets' player-boss Graham Kemp, who had been looking to match the club's best-ever Cup run of three seasons ago when they made the fourth qualifying round under his predecessor Derek Binns.

"I'm proud of our lads though," he added. "And if we carry on playing like that this season, we won't have too many problems. I felt we were unlucky not to go in one up at half-time."

With 'old timers' Taffy Richardson and Nigel Mottashed oozing experience and Strong and Kevin Gill providing pace, the Linnets made life pretty uncomfortable for Crawley in the first half.

True, the home side had a lucky escape in the second minute when Dave Stevens fired wide after profiting from a rebound off Anthony Tilley, but it was the Wessex underdogs who strung together the sweetest passing movements and they should have scored on eight minutes when Liam Green laid the ball back for Andy Jones down the left and his cross was met by the on-rushing Strong who headed just wide of the near post.

Crawley didn't seriously threaten again until Alan Walker-Harris blocked out Stevens in first-half injury time - but it was a sign of hectic times to come for the Linnets 'keeper.

Twice in the second half he saw the ball clatter back off the crossbar from a Fear free kick and a Hockton header and Richardson - who later limped off injured - came to his rescue with a goalline clearance from Neil Le Bihan.

With ex-Wycombe Wanderers midfielder Mo Harkin a class act, it was only a matter of time before Lymington buckled and they did so in the 69th-minute when Hockton's cross was headed on by Stevens for Fear to bury at the far post.

Walker-Harris did some crucial damage limitation work to keep the scoreline respectable and Kemp reflected: "It's been a good Cup run for us and, if we take this form forward into the league, we'll win a lot more than we'll lose.

"Our first-half performance didn't really surprise me. Nine of our starting eleven have played Southern League football and, on our day, we're as good as anyone."

Richardson's injury could be a serious one. "It's either a groin or a hernia problem and he may need an operation," said Kemp.