Bognor crashed out of the FA Cup as an impressive and in-form Margate sailed into the next round with four unanswered goals in a game to forget for the hosts.
Bognor went behind after just 4 minutes as an in-swinging corner from the left by Lukas Franzen-Jones met the head of Harvey Brand who nodded it down. Tyler Edmondson on the goal-line hacked it away but the linesman gave the goal as it had passed the line.
Then another cross flew onto the head of Ibrahim Olutade but he diverted it over the bar.
Rocks had a chance in response as Jasper Mather cut inside from the left but he scooped his effort with only goalkeeper Tom Wray in front of him, over the bar.
Rocco Gamblin was blocked another chance in the box as he was destined to score Bognor’s equaliser.
Kai Garande capitalised on a loose ball in front of the Bognor area before passing to Brandon Davey but he rolled his chance wide on 13 minutes.
Ryan Hall made a good save after a set piece by Ben Greenhalgh who hit the ball into the box and it was headed towards goal, before the goalkeeper stopped it and a foul was committed. A freekick was therefore awarded to Bognor.
Calvin Davies went into the book on 18 minutes for a challenge in the air. Greenhalgh curled the ball deep into the box and it was headed across goal by Harvey Brand for Ibrahim Olutade to knock in from close range on 19 minutes, leaving Bognor 2-0 down early on again.
Spencer Spurway did well to dig out a cross from the right but no one was there on the back post.
Brandon Davey went into the book on 32 minutes for pulling back his man.
A swift counter attack saw Margate find the net again on 37 minutes. Olutade fired it high and in after a parried save from Hall in the Bognor goal that rolled straight to him.
Gabriel Duo was set through by Olutade and he ran through one on one with Hall and his low chance was quickly denied by the diving goalkeeper on 43 minutes.
HT 0-3
Greenhalgh was looking dangerous with his set pieces and his freekick had to be headed out by Spurway early in the second half.
Tommy-Lee Higgs did well to hook in a low cross on 51 minutes but a defender got there first ahead of Callum Barlow, who came on earlier in the first half.
Higgs then made a good pass forward through defence looking for Dan Gifford but he couldn’t get there before goalkeeper Tom Wray soon after.
Mather did well to beat his man on the left before whipping in a cross but Gifford couldn’t get ahead of his marker on 60 minutes.
Brand capitalised on Olutade’s run and fouling Essa Janneh just before hand, that went unnoticed, before Brand fired a chance at goal but Hall parried it out again.
Mather tried to play the ball into the middle and it was Higgs who sped forward and clashed with the goalkeeper, Wray, who managed to hack it out again on 71 minutes.
Frustrations and tired legs showed as Matt Burgess miss-hit a cross from the right way out for a goal kick.
Then Bognor should have scored as Burgess passed to Gifford on the right and his cross found Barlow but he was closed down before he could shoot on 80 minutes. Franzen-Jones capitalised on the counter but fired his low effort straight at Hall.
Spurway found Gifford again on the right and his cut back found Burgess but his low effort bounced into the grateful arms of Wray on 83 minutes.
Gifford did well to round two men before toe poking it at goal again but Wray stopped it easily.
It got worse for Bognor as Margate got their fourth on 86 minutes when Greenhalgh fired it curling into the top left corner from outside the area.
On 89 minutes, Higgs hit a long-range freekick which flashed well wide of the left post.
A frustrating afternoon for the Rocks as they were knocked out of FA Cup at the 2nd Qualifying stage at Nyewood Lane. They return to league action on Saturday 21st September as they welcome Cray Wanderers at home with kick off at 3pm.
FT 0-4
Rocks: Hall, Spurway, Davies (c), Tuck, Duah (Janneh 45), Edmondson, Gamblin (Barlow 36), Burgess, Gifford, Higgs, Mather
Subs not used: Whyte, Evans