Bognor manager Jack Pearce read the riot act to his side after watching an FA Cup horror show at Nyewood Lane.

The Rocks were dumped out of the famous competition after being out-classed in front of a bumper crowd by local rivals Havant and Waterlooville in the second qualifying round tie.

Pearce locked his players in the dressing room for 45 minutes after the final whistle.

He could be heard turning the air blue with a few choice words as he lead an inquest into what had gone wrong.

Bognor had gone into the game full of confidence after a superb start to the campaign which has left them third in the Ryman League premier division.

They had been unbeaten at home this season and also had FA Cup history on their side after reaching the proper rounds seven times in the last 31 years.

Pearce said: "The score is a deep embarrassment and what is more embarrassing is that I can't put up one worthwhile excuse why it shouldn't have been four goals or more.

"We were lucky to get away with that many.

"Everything that could go wrong, did go wrong. To have a situation when you have won six on the trot at home and you lose by four clear goals to a team in an equivalent league is a total embarrassment."

The game was billed as the tie of the round because it had all the right ingredients. It was Sussex versus Hampshire, the Ryman premier league against the Dr Martens premier and also a local derby as Havant is just 17 miles from Bognor.

Bognor skipper Michael Birmingham could not hide his disappointment and believes his side's attitude was wrong going into what was meant to be a classic cup match.

Michael, who lives near Havant, said: "It was a big game which needed some guts about it, but we didn't have any. We just rolled over and died which was very disappointing.

"I'm from Portsmouth and I wanted to do well against them, so it was a bit hurtful that we played with a poor attitude. Havant came with a very professional attitude and they battered us from the first minute to the last. They destroyed us and all credit to them for that."

It took just 43 seconds for things to start going wrong for Bognor after Bobby Howe gave Havant the perfect start. The ball was pumped upfield virtually straight from the visitors' kick-off and Brett Poate crossed for the unmarked Howe to head home comfortably from close range.

The game looked over when Havant scored their second goal just before the half hour mark and to make matters worse for the home supporters, it came from former Rocks defender Alec Masson.

The Havant skipper, who lives in Bognor, rose unchallenged to head a corner by Poate powerfully into the top corner.

Bognor continued their disappointing display in the second half and their miserable day was summed up by a mishap from Matt Russell just after the break.

He kicked an advertising hoarding in frustration at not being awarded a free kick and injured his right foot in the process, leaving him needing treatment for up to five minutes on the sidelines.

It was no surprise when Havant scored their third on 69 minutes after a superb passing move by substitute Dean Blake and Chukki Eribenne was finished off neatly by James Taylor.

There were ironic cheers by the travelling supporters when Bognor had their first real shot at goal after 73 minutes when substitute Tom White tried his luck from 20 yards, but only managed to lash the ball over the bar.

Havant keeper Gareth Howells, brother of former Tottenham skipper David, stayed on the field for ten minutes at the end of the game for some shooting practice after being virtually just a spectator during the 90 minutes.

The visitors sealed the win five minutes from time through the goal of the game by James Ford, who curled a shot from outside the area over hapless Bognor keeper Craig Stoner.

The game put a question mark over the standard of the Ryman premier division compared to that of the Dr Martens, where Havant currently lie in eighth position.

Pearce admitted his side were totally out-classed, but believes the game did not give a true reflection of the two leagues.

He said: "To be fair they didn't look a team who were at the same standard of football as us, they looked like a team four leagues higher than us. We were very poor and some of that was down to their good play. You have always got to give credit to the opposition and they were well worthy of their four goals.

"But I still wouldn't want to back them against some teams in our league like Canvey, Grays or Hornchurch. They are three teams which will give anybody a game at any level."

Bognor: Stoner, Piper, Rowland (Sansom 58), G. Rutherford, Price, M. Rutherford, Russell, M. Birmingham, Hudson, Howell (White 70), D. Birmingham (Savage 70). Subs not used: Stillman, Wright.

Havant: Howells, Ford, Poate, Byles, Skelton, Masson, Town, Eribenne, Howe (Davis 13), Taylor, Champion (Blake 46). Subs not used: Fennemore, Turner, Lever.

Referee: Mr W. Atkin.

Attendance: 945.