The sides had fought out a goalless league draw only a few weeks earlier and Borough started positively, enjoying plenty of possession as they attempted to build on that performance.

But the visitors suffered an early setback when Alexandra Park took the lead inside 10 minutes.

A ball towards the penalty area caused hesitation in the Borough defence and the goalkeeper was unsure whether it had crossed into the box.

An Alexandra Park attacker took advantage, poking the ball beyond her before finishing into an empty net.

Borough responded well and continued to see plenty of the ball, but promising build-up play rarely resulted in clear chances.

The hosts remained dangerous on the counter-attack, particularly down the right, while heavy rain made conditions increasingly difficult and at one stage led the referee to consider abandoning the match.

Play continued, however, with Alexandra Park retaining their 1-0 advantage at half-time.

With conditions improving during the interval, Borough emerged with renewed purpose and changes brought fresh energy to their attacking play.

They began creating more openings but struggled to test the home goalkeeper, with too many efforts failing to find the target.

Alexandra Park thought they had doubled their advantage midway through the second half after Borough’s Sophie was struck in the face by the ball during the build-up.

Play initially continued and the hosts scored, but the goal was ruled out after the referee recognised the head injury.

That reprieve gave Borough hope, but with around 15 minutes remaining they conceded a second.

The visitors had several opportunities to clear following a set-piece but could not remove the danger.

The ball struck the crossbar and further efforts were blocked before an Alexandra Park player eventually fired home to make it 2-0.

Borough continued to search for a route back into the tie, but the finishing touch remained elusive and Alexandra Park held firm to secure their place in the next round.

Despite the disappointment, Borough can take encouragement from periods of positive possession as they turn their attention back to their encouraging first competitive season.