Alan Dunne wants Tonbridge players to use their FA Cup disappointment to fuel a successful league campaign.

National League South Angels missed out on a place in the first round after losing 3-1 at home to Chatham on Saturday.

Marcus Sablier put Dunne’s side in front but they couldn’t find a second goal and paid the price as Isthmian Premier Chats turned the match on its head.

For new boss Dunne, it was a first defeat after three wins and a draw in his opening four matches in all competitions.

It was also the club’s first defeat in nine games, stretching back to Craig Nelson’s time in charge.

The league is the focus for Dunne, however.

He said: “I want the boys to realise that the FA Cup, as much as it’s great, it’s secondary to what we’re about this year.

“We’re ninth (15th) in the league, there’s a real opportunity this year to do something special.

“The FA Cup’s great, good luck to Chatham, but I think this year what we want to do is focus now on trying to finish as high as we can in the league.”

Dunne added: “They’re a young group and they’re talented boys. These are big days for them.

“They’ll be disappointed it didn’t happen for them but there’s some learning in there and I don’t want it to take away from the good performances we’ve had of late and the eight results unbeaten.

“Cup football, one team wins, one team loses, so our focus is the league and I feel like we can do something special this year.

“And I want the boys to take that feeling of them celebrating like they’ve won the FA Cup and use it in the right way to drive yourself forward.”

Report: Tonbridge 1-3 Chatham

Sablier’s deflected strike, after good work down the right by Brody Peart, gave Tonbridge a seventh-minute lead.

Eddie Simon twice went close, including an effort hooked off the line by Chats skipper Reece Butler, while Sablier also could have scored again in a good spell for the hosts.

But Tope Fadahunsi levelled at the start of the second half, then a mistake by Angels keeper Jacob Adams led to a penalty as Naz Bakrin fouled Butler in the aftermath.

Stanley Oldfield converted and Adam Leathers scored an injury-time clincher as Tonbridge threw bodies forward.

“Congratulations to Chatham,” said Dunne.

“We’re disappointed. I thought first half we were excellent and should have put the game to bed.

“We had chances to score.

“We came in at half-time and said ‘the next goal’s massive, we need to push for the next goal’.

“They scored an early goal, caught us a little bit cold and we’re disappointed with the second goal.

“He’s been brilliant for us, the keeper, (but) he just drops one and Naz said he’s caught him and it’s a penalty.

“After that, we’re chasing the game.

“The boys are gutted in there. Cup football, it’s a one-off game and if you don’t get the second, you leave yourself open a little bit.

“You need to be more ruthless in front of goal, you need to take your chances and the boys know that.

“No matter who you play against, if you don’t put a team to bed, you’re going to leave yourself open.

“We gifted them the first goal; the second goal, we’re disappointed with that.

“We are disappointed but I’ve said to the boys we’ve been unbeaten in eight, you’ve given me a shift today.

“They (Chatham) are a team that do an extra day a week.

“We looked a little bit tired at times, and they looked a bit more conditioned than us, more fitter than us.

“That might be the full-time (training).”

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