Whitehawk progressed into the next round of the FA Trophy following a hard-fought 2-0 victory over Ascot United.

The Isthmian South Central newcomers arrived full of confidence, taking the game to the Hawks after an opening half that spawned very few opportunities for either side.

Charlie Walker came the closest, directing his strike on the stretch straight into the grateful grasp of Hugo Sobte. Brendan Matthew came into this one as Ascot’s leading goalscorer with 13 in as many matches, but saw his first half header comfortably saved by Mitch Walker.

The second half arrived with a change of formation for the hosts. That seemed to do the trick as the bodies piled forward, only for Stefan Wright to crash the post with a fine effort from just inside the box.

The visitors posed a threat for much of the half, but soon enough the momentum proved too much as they started to sit ever-deeper, putting bodies on the line to deny efforts from Joel Daly and Walker.

As the game moved into injury time, Whitehawk finally earned their goal. A fizzing cross from Hamish Morrison was turned home by Louis Collins inside the box to spark delirium behind the goal.

Ryan Worrall then followed it up with a goal of his own, capitalising on a goalkeeper error to move into space, before planting his strike into the empty net to cap off a winning afternoon for Shaun Saunders’ Hawks. Next up for the Hawks? A return to the league, as bottom club Haringey Borough make the lengthy midweek trip down to the Sussex shoreline this coming Tuesday.