Hythe boss Steve Watt delivered a few home truths after a nightmare away day.

The Cannons hadn’t conceded a league goal before losing 5-0 at Chichester in Isthmian South East on Saturday.

But a series of mistakes were punished by a ruthless City side while debutant keeper Jack West-Astuti was sent off after conceding a penalty at 4-0 down.

Cannons defender Liam Smith took the gloves and saved the spot-kick but there was still time for Chichester to add a fifth goal.

“It was a really bad day at the office,” said Watt, who takes Hythe to Chertsey in the FA Trophy Second Qualifying Round this Saturday (3pm).

“The first goal was a horrific mistake that, 99 times out of 100, wouldn’t happen.

“It’s a clearance from our set-piece where we’ve jumped to win the header on the halfway line and got nowhere near it and their striker has gone through one-on-one and scored.

“Three times after that, we’ve turned over possession in the middle of the pitch, just by trying something stupid, and they’ve cut straight through us and scored.

“It doesn’t happen often when every mistake gets punished but take nothing away from Chichester.

“They were by far the better team and deserved to win but the way we lost annoyed me more than anything.

“We addressed things after the game - there were a few home truths and things that needed to be said.

“But that game’s done now and we’ve got to move on.

“There’s no point dwelling on it. You say what you need to say and we’ll see how we react from there.”

Goalkeeper West-Astuti, deputising for Steve Phillips, won’t forget his debut in a hurry.

Already booked for his reaction to a challenge, he received a second yellow card after conceding the penalty.

He played Sittingbourne in the Velocity Cup on Tuesday night – the Cannons winning 4-3 on penalties after a 1-1 draw – but Phillips is back for the Trophy.

“It sounds stupid when you’ve lost 5-0 but he didn’t have anything to do,” said Watt.

“He’s conceded four goals before the red card but he’s not had a save to make.

“They’ve had four shots on target and scored four goals.”

Forward Kane Phillip has rejoined Hythe from Phoenix.

He previously played under Watt at Reachfields.

“We needed more support in forward areas with the games we’ve got coming up,” said Watt.

“It’s a good fit for both parties for him to come back.

“He knows me, he knows the boys, he knows the environment, and he just wants to enjoy his football.”