Burnham FC boss James 'can't fault' Blues after FA Cup exit to Whyteleafe

Burnham FC’s exciting FA Cup run came to an end after a 3-1 defeat to Whyteleafe on Monday night. The Isthmian League South East outfit proved to be a stern test for the Blues who had previously overcome Northwood and Leverstock Green in the tournament.

Brad Holland’s third-minute finish looked to be an indication of what was to come from Ashleigh James’ men, but Helge Orome (27’) and Aaron Watson (45’) were on hand to ensure the visitors went into the break with the advantage.

A feisty second half followed as Burnham looked to get themselves back in the game with several yellow cards dealt to both teams. However, Ricardo Thompson put the nail in the coffin in the 90th minute as Burnham’s solo scorer Holland saw red shortly thereafter.

“We scored early but maybe a bit too early because it’s a long way to go in the game after that,” said Blues boss James.

“We played well for 15 minutes but we let in a really soft goal and they started to get into the game. It was a bit of a sucker punch to let them score again right before half-time.

“We rode our luck in the second half as we looked to fight back but they scored another deep into stoppage time which killed the game off.”

Had the game been played at The Gore on Saturday - as it was initially intended to be - James admitted his team might’ve stood a chance and benefitted from the home advantage.

“We definitely had the belief that we were going to win on Saturday,” added James.

“They (Whyteleafe) didn’t look like they fancied it but because of the weather, we had to play at their place. They know how to play their pitch and they fully deserved to win.

“I can’t fault my boys though, the effort they put in was brilliant.

“Now we will look to build some points in the league having only played two games.

“We need to carry our form from the FA Cup into the league and if we do that with the same attitude and application, we’ll do well this year.”

Burnham travel to play Ardley United on Saturday. Kickoff is at 3pm.