Hythe Town manager Andy Crush targets FA Vase upset against SE Dons after putting seven past promotion rivals Lordswood in extraordinary away win

Hythe Town go into a big FA Vase game full of confidence after an extraordinary 7-3 away win over promotion rivals Lordswood.

Lords had won all six home games in Southern Counties East Division 1, scoring 27 goals and conceding just two, before running into a rampant Cannons side last weekend.

Town trailed early on but were 5-1 up by half-time and completed the job in the second half to preserve their unbeaten record.

Jake Embery scored a hat-trick, with Josh Byford, Michael Stott, Harry Linch and Sammy Carpenter also on target.

Victory sets Town up for an FA Vase second-round tie at SCEFL Premier Division outfit SE Dons this Saturday (3pm), where they bid to claim another Step 5 scalp after beating Chislehurst Glebe in the Kent Senior Trophy a fortnight ago.

They travel in great spirits after thumping Lordswood.

“You don’t want to say it but, with respect, I thought we’d be better than them, and we handled the game really well,” said manager Andy Crush, after his third-placed side moved level on points with Lordswood, plus they have three matches in hand.

“We stuck to instructions and showed how good we can be.

“I said to the boys, that’s probably been our best performance but we haven’t played far off that level all season, it’s just the ball hasn’t gone in the net every time.

“We ended up scoring four screamers, including one from our right-back.

“It’s quite funny because the stigma is that we don’t play very well on grass, that we’re a team who want to move the ball and 3G really suits us.

“I said at half-time I’m fed up hearing that because at that point we’re seven games in, won six, drawn one and currently 5-1 up against a promotion-chasing side, all on grass, and we haven’t played a single league game on 3G yet.