The loss all but confirms relegation for the side bossed by Michael Birmingham and Jamie Howell. Although Bognor have shown signs of improvement under the duo — and the hope is that they can rebuild to mount a promotion push next season at the first time of asking — this game was definitely one that highlighted the woeful inefficiencies that have plagued the side this season.

The Rocks were the better team in the first half no question, but lacked any punch in front of goal and while possession will get you so far, the need to capitalise on chances created is imperative if you want to win games. Or draw them for that matter.

That requisite dynamism was sadly lacking but in mitigation it was always going to be a tough afternoon when the visitors couldn’t name injured striker Dan Gifford, winger Bailey Smith and defensive stalwart Harvey Whyte in the team.

And with Calvin Davies missing through suspension, it provided an opportunity for youngsters Toby Kingswell and Lennie Smith to start and they did themselves huge credit with their energetic and enterprising displays.

Another youngster, the ever-improving midfielder Preston Woolston was voted man of the match for Bognor in an encounter desperately short of worthy nominees for that particular accolade.

It all fell apart during a hapless eight-minute spell following the break when individual errors saw the hosts steal in to make it 2-0 through goals from Josh Nandhra and Geoffrey Okankawa. And again, indecision reigned supreme in the visitors’ backline when Nandhra notched his second after stealing in on goal to lift the ball over the advancing Ryan Hall.

And that was that. Huffing and puffing ensued but without any purpose and lacking direction, Bognor looked dead on their feet and displayed no real belief that they could muster a goal let alone anything resembling a comeback.

With Howell away, it was left to Birmingham to try to sum up his side’s woeful efforts against a Hawks side who hardly shone but had enough guile about them to claim an easy victory. And the former Rocks midfielder was scathing in his critique of his side’s dismal second-half failings.

He said: “First half I thought we were the better side. It seemed like Whitehawk had nothing to play for, and by the end of the game you’d have thought we had nothing to play for because that second half represented nothing to do with football. We didn’t win a second ball, we didn’t attempt to get it down and play and we gifted three goals. It was so poor.

“Then I’ve got people moaning because the fans are voicing their opinion, which they are entitled to do; they have been loyal all season, they’ve (the players) gone over to clap them and they have had a few beers and they’ve told them what they thought and they have thrown their toys out. They deserved it.

“I though Lennie, Toby and Ash (Horstead), when he came on, were excellent and deserve a lot of credit. Senior members let themselves down, they didn’t help them through the game and fair play to those boys, they were brilliant.”

1 Ryan Hall, 2 Toby Kingswell, 3 Dion Jarvis 4 Preston Woolston, 5 Harvey Rew, 6 Chad Field, 7 Lennie Smith, 8 Matt Burgess (C), 9 Jasper Mather, 10 Tommy-Lee Higgs, 17 Doug Tuck. Substitutes: 12 Freddie Chester – Jasper Mather (73′), 14 Ashton Horstead – Tommy-Lee Higgs (86′), 15 Harvey Whyte 16 Dan Gifford.