Ayres’ men made to rue missed chances in defeat

Flackwell Heath boss Chris Ayres said he was ‘gutted’ to bow out of the FA Cup at the weekend but felt his side were unlucky not to get a result after creating a host of chances in defeat at Wilks Park.

The Heathens were beaten 1-0 by Slimbridge in front of a large home crowd on Saturday thanks to a first-half strike from the visitors’ Marley Thomas.

Ayres recognised the importance of an FA Cup run for a club’s finances and admitted he was disappointed not to earn at least a replay against the Gloucestershire side.

His men enjoyed the better of the play in the second half and were made to rue a number of missed opportunities following Thomas’ opener.

“The FA Cup is important to the club because financially, the rewards are good and I know what that money means,” Ayres said.

“From that respect I was really gutted. We didn’t start well in the first 15 minutes and were a little bit slow to get going. We grew into it and missed a few chances in the second half which is a bit unlike us because we are normally good in front of goal, especially at home.

“We huffed and puffed and had three or four really good chances and didn’t take them, but I suppose that is cup football. I thought we deserved a least a replay but sometimes that is the way it goes.”

Despite the defeat, Ayres was confident his Heathens side could push for other silverware this campaign.

“The FA Vase is a prestigious competition. We have been a tad unlucky with the draw [Risborough Rangers] as they have a massive budget and are really strong,” he added.

The Heathens take on the Rangers at home on Saturday at 3pm.