Hendon slipped out of the FA Trophy at the first hurdle after a 4-1 defeat away at Whitehawk.

Connor Tighe scored a first-half brace to put the Isthmian League South East Division side in front at the break.

Hendon pulled one back through Connor Calcutt but almost immediately, Whitehawk restored their two-goal cushion through David Martin’s penalty, and Lewis Unwin added a fourth for good measure with eight minutes remaining.

Lee Chappell was ruled out for Hendon with a broken hand while Tre Charles was suspended, so Ryan Hope and Kam English returned to the line-up following injuries of their own.

The Dons couldn’t have made a worse start as Hope prodded away a low cross and, after the ball was worked out to Martin on the left, his cross was tucked away by Tighe at the far post.

It took only 15 minutes for Whitehawk to double their advantage, which came when Hendon keeper Chris Grace produced a good save from Henry Muggeridge, put Tighe got to the loose ball first and dinked it over Grace.

Hendon halved the deficit midway through the second half when Serge Manesio’s cross found Calcutt with the freedom of the penalty area and he calmly side-footed home his fifth of the season.

However, within two minutes, Whitehawk went two ahead once more. Luke Tingey inadvertently handled in the area when he thought play had stopped, and Martin smashed home the penalty.

The final blow came with eight minutes to go as Unwin’s effort from just outside the box squeezed under Grace into the bottom corner to cap a miserable afternoon for the Greens.

They will look to get back to winning ways this weekend when they visit Taunton Town in the Southern League Premier Division.