Crusaders targeting Trophy tilt after Town beat Winchester City in eight-goal thriller

Hungerford Town boss Danny Robinson has said that a run in the FA Trophy could prove an important financial boon to the club.

Bulpit Lane was broken into in midweek, leaving a number of people connected to the club in tears and the coffers significantly reduced, but Robinson’s side were able to restore smiles to faces thanks to an emphatic 5-3 win over Winchester City in the FA Trophy third qualifying round on Saturday.

Two goals for Elis Watts, two for prolific frontman Conor McDonagh and a bullet header from Matt Berry-Hargreaves booked Hungerford’s spot in the first round proper, where they’ll take on Isthmian League outfit Westfield.

And Robinson admitted the victory was a welcome shot in the arm following a difficult week for the club.

“It was important. I thought we were good value for the result and the scoreline probably flattered them more than us,” he said.

“It was an emotional one. There were people at the club in tears in midweek, so we wanted to make sure we left them smiling on Saturday afternoon.

“Conor (McDonagh) was unwell, so he probably shouldn’t have played – but every time I sent another striker out to warm up he scored.

“We think we can have a really good run in the competition. We want to do it for the supporters who followed us to Winchester as well as for the club, because the prize money is really important for teams like us.

“We went deep in this competition last year, and we want to do it again this time.”