FALMOUTH Town's hopes of lifting the FA Vase are over for another year after falling to a 2-1 defeat at Christchurch in the third round proper.

Jon Blake headed the Dorset side in front on the stroke of half time before Luke Brabyn levelled midway the second half, only for Kyle Graham to score the winner five minutes later.

The Wessex League Premier side were first to threaten in a quiet first half, with Graham driving a shot over the bar from 25 yards before Ryan Barnes was forced into making a top save to deny Max Wilcock's header.

Town began to establish a foothold in the game with Brabyn running deep into Christchurch territory before teeing up Olly Walker, with Martyn Duff eventually firing over.

Walker was beginning to have a big impact on the tie, first firing against the post before leading an attack down the left and finding Ollie Moody, who sent a shot over the bar.

But the hosts reclaimed the upper hand as half time neared, with Graham's cross being cleared before Luke Stone sent a low shot wide of Barnes' post.

Town felt they should have been given the chance to open the scoring from the spot when Luke Johnson beat a man and fell to the turf under a challenge, but was deemed to have dived and received a yellow card instead.

The hosts took the lead barely a minute later after winning a free kick, with Blake rising to head it home from the centre of the box in the final minute of the half.

Falmouth were keen to make a good start after the break and did just that, with Johnson racing onto a through ball and testing the 'keeper, before Wilcock headed over from a free kick at the other end.

Town's best chance of the game so far arrived seven minutes into the second half when Brabyn closed down a clearance, with the ball looping and striking the crossbar before being palmed over for a corner.

The visitors came even closer just after the hour when David Broglino's 25-yard free kick looked to be flying into the top corner but for an excellent diving save from Lewis Gunstone-Gray.

But Town were finally back on terms in the 64th minute when Brabyn profited from some defensive hesitance, nodding the ball off a defender'a head and nipping in to calmly fire into the net.

But Christchurch found themselves in front six minutes later when Graham headed in from a corner, despite protests from the away side after the linesman had flagged prior to the ball going in.

Time was against Falmouth but they were indebted to goalkeeper Barnes for keeping their hopes alive, after he made two important saves from Neale and then Graham to keep Town in it.

The game was end-to-end as the clock ticked down, with Walker teeing up substitute Jack Webber to have his low shot cleared, before Stone saw his looped header over Barnes drop just wide of the far corner at the other end.

Desperately searching for another last-gasp equaliser, Town threw caution to the wind and forced a succession of chances deep into injury time, but James Ward fired the final effort over the bar from 25 yards as Town's Vase journey came to an end.

Christchurch: L Gunstone-Gray, B Cherrett, E Ohameje, N Swann, H Wright, J Blake, B Satterley, K Graham, L Stone, M Wilcock, M Neale. Subs: G Cormack, J Kirkham, B Walker, L Murrain, J Satterley, W Robinson.

Falmouth: R Barnes, D Blizzard (J Webber 55), O Moody (T Clark 78), M Duff, J Cooper, J Ward, L Johnson (T Nixon 78), D Broglino, L Brabyn, S Pickup, O Walker. Subs (unused): R Martt, B Oliver, S Parker-Billinge, A Westgarth.