Kings Langley’s hopes of an FA Cup run are over after they were dumped out of the competition following a 2-1 defeat to Lewes in a replay.

Following a 1-1 draw at the Global Metcorp Stadium on Saturday, Kings knew the tie had to be settled in East Sussex on Wednesday night and they started strongly, with Stevie Ward’s powerful effort being kept out by a flying save from Lewis Carey.

Kings’ Martin Bennett was then tested for the first time soon after when he had to save with his feet, but he was picking the ball out of the net on the half-an-hour mark when Jonte Smith fired home from the penalty spot.

Following that setback, Steve Conroy’s men knew they needed a strong start to the second half, but their hopes of progressing to the third qualifying round were a dealt a major blow when Lewes doubled their advantage just two minutes after the break through James Hammond.

But Kings would rally and they responded in perfect fashion by halving the deficit almost immediately thanks to Callum Adebiyi’s header from a Dean Hitchcock corner.

The Hertfordshire side threw bodies forward in the final 15 minutes as they desperately searched for an equaliser, with Rene Howe and Roy Silva both coming close, while Howe saw a header excellently tipped over by Carey to preserve Lewes’ lead.

That save proved to be crucial in the end, as Kings failed in their search for that all-important equaliser.