“To get where we are now, I think we’re fully deserving of that,” utters manager Shaun Saunders, face of a man battered by North Sea winds as his Whitehawk side step off Margate’s Hartsdown Park dramatic 4-3 winners, and a place in the Velocity Cup semi-final assured.

Yet in Margate they discovered a more ferocious beast, frothing from the traps with two somewhat wind assisted goals inside 20 minutes. Ben Greenhalgh whipping the ball beyond Glover on two fortuitous occasions to sink the sodden visitors.

Nathan Cooper will claim he halved the deficit 12 minutes from the break after latching onto a corner, and the Hawks comeback was complete with 79 minutes played as Lambert fizzed home his side’s second ahead of a Luke Robinson sliding strike that slipped the Hawks into a 3-2 lead moments from the end.

But more drama was to unfold as the hosts levelled through a Harry Shooman own goal, prompting preparation for a penalty shootout, only for returning debutant Alfie Rogers to fantastically fire home after a swift counter attack to send the travelling Hawks into raptures.

The Hawks are back home on Saturday afternoon as they welcome Littlehampton Town to The Enclosed Ground for a 3pm kick-off.