FA Cup: Young and Hale fire late as Heathens march on but Marlow and Burnham bow out

Flackwell Heath boss Chris Ayres. Photo: Glenn Alcock

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A frantic finish at Wilks Park saw Flackwell Heath fall behind before scoring twice in injury time to defeat step 3 side Lewes and book their place in the second qualifying round of the FA Cup.

The Heathens had been handed a tough tie against step 3 opposition; however, they had home support on their side and there was little difference in quality between the two teams for most of the first 80 minutes.

The tie looked to be deadlocked until Ryan Bernal popped up with the opener for Lewes in the 81st minute.

However, encouraged on by 235 fans inside Wilks Park, the Heathens managed to turn the tie on its head with late goals from Connor Young in the 90th minute and Harlem Hale in the 92nd.

The result sees the side progress to the second qualifying round of the competition for the first time in six years.

They’ll be in the draw for the next round on Monday lunchtime, with the second qualifying round ties to take place across the weekend of Saturday, September 13.

Todays Man Of The Match, Sean McGuinness, chosen by our @FHMFC1967 Mascots #Heathens pic.twitter.com/VZrHPLxiWM

— Flackwell Heath FC (@FHFC1907) August 30, 2025

They will be joined in the draw by National League South sides Maidenhead United and Slough Town - who enter the competition at this stage - but not by either Burnham or Marlow who were knocked out of the competition by higher level opponents this afternoon (Saturday).

Mo and Omz Bakali’s Blues suffered their first defeat of the season in any competition as they were beaten 3-0 at home by step 4 side Jersey Bulls.

The Bulls grabbed the lead just before half-time through Jack Lumsden, extended their advantage shortly after the hour mark through Rai Dos Santos and killed off any hopes of a Burnham comeback in the 84th minute through Miguel Carvalho’s strike.

A few photos from today taken by Edgar Sztuba pic.twitter.com/dBAPszaMQe

— Burnham Football Club (@BurnhamFC1878) August 30, 2025

Marlow’s disappointing start to the season continued as they bowed out of the FA Cup in convincing fashion after a 4-0 defeat at Chatham Town.

The step 3 hosts went into the tie as heavy favourites, given the Blues indifferent form in the league and cup so far.

There was nothing to separate the two sides at the interval, but the Isthmian Premier Division side took full control after the interval.

Tope Fadahunsi fired them in front in the 53rd minute and a second goal six minutes later from Harvey Walker put Town on course for the second qualifying round.

Late goals from Adedapo Olugbodi in the 80th minute and Fadahunsi again in the 90th gave the scoreline a rather harsh complexion but the Blues could have few complaints about their FA Cup exit.

4-0

Social Media Assistant @ben__linton spoke with Mark Bartley after the game to get his thoughts on the game,here’s what Barts had to say… pic.twitter.com/UlFNM5JpPW

— Marlow Football Club (@MarlowFC) August 30, 2025