St Neots Town crashed out of a second cup competition in the space of five days.

The Saints suffered a second qualifying round exit in the FA Trophy when beaten 2-1 on home turf by fellow Southern League Premier Division side Hungerford yesterday.

It followed hot on the heels of a midweek penalty-shootout defeat in the Red Insure League Cup and leaves securing promotion as the sole focus (aside from the county cup anyway) for David Batch’s men.

St Neots’ performance against Hungerford matched the conditions at the Premier Plus Stadium as strong winds and heavy rain made for a miserable afternoon.

The hosts went close to a breakthrough either side of half-time as Mat Mitchel-King steered a good headed chance wide before top-scorer Tom Meechan had a close-range shot blocked.

They fell behind 10 minutes into the second half, but needed only a further eight minutes to restore parity when Hungerford defender Jon Boardman contrived to head an Isaac Galliford corner into his own net.

But the decisive moment arrived with 13 minutes remaining as Tom Ward’s weak defensive header was seized upon by visiting striker Stefan Brown, who sprinted past Shane Blackett and fired beyond goalkeeper Andy Wilton.

St Neots entertain lowly Bedworth United in the Premier Division on Tuesday night.