Knaphill’s Surrey Senior Cup campaign ended with a heavy 6-0 defeat against Isthmian League South Central Division outfit Leatherhead at Redding Way.

Despite their best efforts, the Step 5 Knappers found themselves outclassed by their Step 4 opponents, who showcased their quality to progress to the third round.

Leatherhead took an early lead in the seventh minute when a cross from the left-hand side floated over Knaphill goalkeeper Sam Gray, leaving Lukas Franzen-Jones free to head into an empty net.

The second goal, in the 35th minute, followed a similar pattern.

Gray made an initial save, but the rebound was crossed back into the box from the left, and Franzen-Jones slid in to finish despite protests from Knaphill players, who appealed for offside to no avail.

Leatherhead added a third in the 41st minute when Franzen-Jones turned provider.

He broke free down the right byline and delivered a low cross into the six-yard box, where Ruben Bartlett-Antwi was unmarked to tap the ball home.

The fourth goal came just before half-time, capitalising on a second phase from a Leatherhead corner.

A driving run into the box on the left led to a powerful shot, which Gray parried into the path of George Hedley.

The midfielder reacted quickest to tap in the rebound, giving the visitors a commanding 4-0 lead at the break.

Knaphill made changes at half-time, introducing Dale Burnham and Jack Watts to add fresh legs.

Further substitutions saw Jack Carrod, David Orisatoki and Alex McLean come on during the second half, but Leatherhead maintained control of the match.

The fifth goal came in the 67th minute when Anuar Ceesay found himself unmarked in the box to tap home a simple finish after a well-worked move.

Ty Butler completed the scoring in the 89th minute, collecting the ball on the edge of the box and calmly stroking it into the bottom corner, leaving Gray with no chance.

Knaphill’s best chance came in the 86th minute when substitute McLean struck a low drive towards the bottom right-hand corner.

The effort looked destined for goal, but Leatherhead goalkeeper Rileigh Hebditch got down sharply to tip it around the post, denying the Knappers a consolation.

Despite conceding six goals, Gray stood out for Knaphill and made several impressive saves throughout the match.

His efforts in goal prevented the scoreline becoming even more one-sided and demonstrated his quality in difficult circumstances.

His shot-stopping and composure in goal were commendable.

Leatherhead showed their quality on the ball, winning their 50-50 challenges and playing with a high tempo around the Knaphill box.

Their clinical finishing and composure in key moments proved decisive on the night.

Knaphill will now regroup and shift their focus back to league action.

Knaphill: Sam Gray, James Glover, Michak Stanic-Stewart (c), Andrew Cooke (Jack Watts 46), Ellis Byrne (Dale Burnham 46), Aidan King (Alex McLean 80), Matt Copland (Jack Carrod 60), Zak Jakubowski (David Orisatoki 70), Ross Murdoch, George Sellick, Kingsley Anokye.

Unused substitutes: None.

Leatherhead: Sonny Wheeler (Rileigh Hebditch 45), Kelvin Manuel Massango, Cerny Ando, Niran Butler, George Hedley, Tom Kavanagh (c), Kane Fitzgerald, Alfie Huckle (Jamarie Brisset 45), Deondre Date (Ruben Bartlett-Antwi 26), Lukas Franzen-Jones (Anuar Ceesay 45), Rhys Murrel-Williamson (Ty Butler 54).

Unused substitutes: None.

Attendance: 110.

Referee: Jordan Millgate.

By James Carpenter