Deal were knocked out of the Kent League Premier Division Cup on Tuesday night as they lost their quarter-final second leg tie with Sevenoaks 5-3 at the Oatmor Harris Stadium.

It meant that Derek Hares’ side went out 6-4 on aggregate and in the process surrendered their proud unbeaten home record this season.

Deal left themselves with it all to do after conceding three goals in the first 22 minutes and Hares admitted afterwards: "It was unbelievable, after being so good for the last few weeks we were so bad for the first 20 minutes."

Two mistakes by goalkeeper Paul Rogers helped Sevenoaks go 3-0 ahead through Billy Shinners, Joe Minter and Chris Walker.

When substitute Daniel Akpoveta made it 4-0 on the hour, Hares then changed formation to three at the back and just two in midfield and Roy Godden gave Deal fresh hope with two goals in eight minutes.

But a debatable 72nd-minute penalty award against Dave Bathgate, which enabled Danny Twinn to make it 5-2, then killed the tie off before Bathgate scored Deal’s third four minutes later.

Hares added: "I take nothing away from Sevenoaks, they did a decent job on the night but we battered them in the second half.

"Apart from scoring three times, we hit the inside of the woodwork twice through Mo Takaloo and Jack Collins and Jason Brazier should have had a penalty."

Now Hares has got the task of lifting his players in time for Saturday’s repeat contest with Sevenoaks, when the sides meet at the Oatmor Harris Stadium again in the quarter-final of the Kent Senior Trophy.

He said: "I said to the players after the game that it’s no good dwelling on what happened. Saturday will be a different game and we have got to get back to the way we have been playing lately."