Burgess Hill legend Ashley Carr proved he is not about to hang up his boots just yet in the only way he knows how - by scoring goals.

The veteran striker scored the equaliser against Ryman League side Staines in the second round tie at Leylands Park.

It was his first goal of the season in only his second start and capped a tireless performance leading the line for Hillians.

It was a welcome sight for the home fans who have been used to seeing the big No.10 score important goals during his ten years at the club.

His average of one goal every two games helped the Hillians win three consecutive County League championships between 1997 and 1999.

He was top scorer with 18 in 2001 and played an instrumental part last season when Burgess Hill were promoted to the Dr Martens League for the first time.

He has been forced to become a bit-part player this season, however, due to a mixture of work commitments and the form of Steve Harper and Nicky Sullivan, who have scored 29 goals between them.

But despite being 35-years-old, any suggestion of retirement is out of the question for Carr who believes he has still got a big part to play this season.

He said: "It was only my second start but I really enjoyed it and it was good to get off the mark with a goal.

"I haven't been available that much so far this season but now I will be for most of the time so I am looking to kick on from here and hopefully I will be starting a bit more."

Hillians boss Gary Croydon decided to go with Carr from the start to add some experience and muscle up front. That is exactly what the Hillians manager got and his decision looked like a master stroke in the 81st minute when Carr levelled the scores.

Carr eluded his marker to latch onto a through ball by Harper and beat Staines keeper Matt Lovett with a low left-foot shot which was helped into the net by the back-tracking Mark Pye.

The timing of the goal proved Carr still has the fitness to compete at the highest level and earlier in the game he also showed he still has the desire when he sparked an 11-man brawl.

The Hillians forward held off a challenge from Pye which the Staines man took exception to, causing players from both sides to get involved.

The referee held up play for five minutes while he consulted both his assistants, but he decided to let things go which was lucky for Pye who had clearly thrown a punch in the melee.

From a Burgess Hill point of view, the unpleasant scenes came out of frustration that they had been under-performing for the majority of the game.

They fell behind after 19 minutes when Kezie Ibe, the former Arsenal trainee and Staines' top scorer, finished at the second attempt from just inside the box with a neat lob over on-loan keeper Paul Stark.

Hillians tried to hit back by throwing men forward, but despite having the majority of possession in the first half they failed to create any clear-cut chances.

Carr's goal came after a spell of sustained pressure from the home side and it looked to be good enough to earn a replay.

But the sucker punch came just two minutes later when the Hillians defence failed to clear their lines properly and Ibe knocked in his 19th of the season after Stark had saved his first effort.

Carr said: "We thought we lost the game in the first half because we just didn't perform. We worked so hard to get back in the game and when we equalised I thought we would go on and win it.

"Their goal just killed us, especially being so soon after we scored, but if I was being honest I would say they probably deserved to win it."

Hillians' poor start to the game could have had something to do with the fact the players did not know the game was on until 45 minutes before kick-off.

Torrential rain had left the pitch very wet but some tireless work by head groundsman Roger Puttick ensured the game went ahead.

Croydon was not looking for excuses, however, and knows his side can play a lot better. The Hillians have proved they can hold their own in the Dr Martens eastern division this season. They had only lost once in their previous eight games and a win against division one south side Staines would have put them in the third round of the Trophy in their first campaign in the competition.

Croydon said: "We weren't at the races and you cannot do that against good sides. We were not good but you get that and we have to realise we are not going to win every week.

"We have come a long way in a short amount of time and reaching the third round would have been a dream. But we just have to put this in perspective and make sure we keep getting results in the league."

Burgess Hill: Stark, Sullivan, Guile, Curnow, Andrews, Downey, Harper, Bridle (Hurley 86), Geard, Carr, Day. Subs not used: Edmonds, Bird, Kilpartrick, Gannon.

Staines: Lovett, Walker, Rouco, McGrath, Flitter, Sills, Pye, Ellis (Newton 90), Ibe, Maskell (Henry-Hayden 88), McDonald.

Referee: R. Barnard-Smith (Hampshire)

Attendance: 266
Man-of-the-match: Kezie Ibe (Staines)