Four days preparing in the Spanish sunshine did Burgess Hill little good as they froze for their biggest match of the season.

With a place in the last 16 of the FA Vase at stake, Hillians were expected to brush aside Ryman Three Dorking at Leylands Park.

Instead, they needed a late equaliser from Steve Harper to keep them in the competition and, after extra time failed to produce further goals, the sides replay tomorrow night at Meadowbank, Dorking.

Hillians prepared for the big game in style at the La Cala resort on the Costa Del Sol in Spain last week.

But manager Gary Croydon was horrified with the performance and accused his side of suffering from stagefright as they attempted to reach the last 16 for only the second time in their history.

Croydon said: "I could not have prepared a professional side any better.

"A few of my players are in the early stages of their careers in non-League football and three or four really froze.

"It can happen to anybody, including pros. We just had it happen to too many people.

"I was embarrassed by the team, they were awful. But to their credit they battled hard and we ended up pulling a rabbit of the hat and are still in the competition to fight another day."

Harper's equaliser came six minutes from time. The 19-year-old striker, who trains with Millwall during the week until the end of the season, was sent clear after substitute Lee Isaac and Phil Churchill had exchanged passes. He kept his composure to drill a low right foot shot under Julian Gray.

It was Harper's first meaningful contribution because he had been marked out of the game for long spells on the left wing until he swapped positions with centre forward Ashley Carr prior to the goal.

Top scorer Churchill has been one of Hillians' most consistent performers this season, but he looked below his best.

The 28-goal hitman missed two great chances to win the match in extra-time as he shot wide from a Carr pass and then lifted an inviting cross from Isaac over the bar.

Harper's strike cancelled out Steve Lunn's 18th-minute opener for the Chicks. The Dorking stalwart shrugged off Andy Lutwyche and Gary Callingham to curl a delightful shot into the top-left corner of Pat Gannon's goal with the outside of his left foot from the edge of the area.

It was the striker's 155th goal in 424 appearances for the visitors and he could have had more but for agility of Gannon, 21, who kept the home side in the tie with a succession saves, including an excellent double stop to deny Lunn and his lively strike partner Ali Chaarban.

Gannon said: "Both sides missed a lot of chances. It was a case of who would put them away and neither side did that.

"Their goal was unbelievable. I was rooted to the spot. They are a good footballers with the ball at their feet, their strikers turned us inside out.

"They did surprise us, but we are confident for the replay. Gary has had a word and we will be up for it."

Lunn believed Hillians had underestimated his side.

He said: "We have been the underdogs throughout this competition and coming down here we didn't get a lot of respect but we were very fired up.

"Their manager said some things about us that didn't go down very well.

"It won't be easy for Burgess Hill at our place. The pitch is a bit cut up and I don't think they will be able to play it around as much."

On his goal, he added: "It was one of those shots you strike and nine times out of ten it will hit the corner flag."

Croydon denied being disrespectful to the opposition. He said: "I would say they are a fair County League side but that's all they are.

"I said I thought we'd win. That's not being disrespectful but maybe over confident, yet we had them watched twice.

"We are very fortunate to still be in the draw, now we have to take advantage of that."