Brighton will meet Lewes in the Sussex Cup final after a stunning 3-2 win over East Grinstead.

Skipper Carlo Missirian described the result as the biggest in the club's history as National League visitors Grinstead were edged out in a thriller.

It was drama all the way including a crucial penalty flick save from Brighton's Pete Ashdown with the game goalless and a remarkable goalline clearance by Richard Baker from a short corner after the final whistle.

Missirian, whose side are now preparing for a fourth successive Sussex Cup final, said: "Grinstead didn't convert their setpieces which made the difference. All the practice we had done for our short corners didn't matter because we didn't get one.

"In open play were were magnificent and we worked our socks off.

"Our coach Bram van Asselt prepared us immaculately for the game and got the best out of us.

"The key players played well but the team played well which is important.

"The support was marvellous. We had 80 to 100 people there and at the final whistle it was mad as they all ran on the pitch. It shows the strength of the club.

"It is without doubt the biggest single game this club has ever won.

"It proved how much work we have done this year and how much we have developed."

Ashdown saved Ben Payne's penalty flick early on and that gave Brighton the belief they could beat Grinstead.

Richard Cooke opened the scoring for Brighton with a deflection from a free hit on 15 minutes but the visitors levelled through player-coach Ian Pattison just before half time.

The lead was restored 15 minutes into the second half when Brighton's Craig Carolan added to his tally of 47 league goals with a thunderous shot but again Grinstead came back with Alex Pizzey scoring from a short corner to make it 2-2.

The winner came seven minutes from time with another great individual goal from Carolan but the drama was not over as Grinstead had two short corners after the final whistle, the second of which produced a wonderful diving stop from Baker to deny Phillip Coote.

This was the first time National League sides had been allowed in the Sussex Cup for a number of years and Grinstead went into the game as hot favourites.

Missirian said: "They have come back in the cup but we have been in the final for for the last three years and were desperate to get back there.

"Over the last three years people have said we have done really well to get to the final but we were only there because the National League teams were not in it and that is a fair comment. This result speaks for itself."

Brighton will now meet Lewes at Lewes on Saturday April 26 and Missirian added: "We know it will be a very difficult game and we will be underdogs but we will give it our best shot. The most important thing is to be in the final again."

Lewes avoided an upset in their semi-final as they went through 2-1 thanks to a golden goal winner at home to Chichester.

Again penalty flicks were influential with Chichester's Rob Pywell scoring one in the first half before missing one in the second period at a crucial stage of the game.

Chi led 1-0 at half time thanks to Pywell's flick and they would have gone further ahead but for Marc Wilkinson's save which denied Pywell a second.

Soon after that failure, Chi were pegged back when Ryan Standing crossed for Nick van Tromp to fire home to take the game into extra time.

Midway through the first period Standing, one of Lewes' longest serving players, crossed for Andy Pike to deflect home a winner.

Lewes manager Paul Benoy said: "We changed our game plan in the second half and put them under much more pressure. It will be a good final because Brighton are on a roll."

Chichester had Ollie Lane-Smith yellow carded in the closing stages of the game which meant they finished the match with one of the main strikers on the sidelines.

Chi player-coach Neil Pendle said: "I'm disappointed because we should have won. We played the better hockey, created the better chances and should have put them away."