The Borough tumbled out of the second cup competition of the season when Hyde Town's will to win proved too much in last night's F.A. Trophy replay.

Nuneaton are already out of the F.A. Cup and their season is in danger of running into quicksand although they have a massive points cushion at the top of the Dr Marten's League Premier Division.

Their assistant manager Steve Burr had no doubt as to the reason Borough lost to Hyde. "They muscled us out of it," was his verdict.

"They wanted to win, whereas we thought we would win - that was the difference," was his bitter summing up. "It was bitterly disappointing to go out of the competition because I thought we were capable of putting together a good run," he added.

Borough really missed out on Saturday when they fought a draw with the northern club in a match which they dominated and should have won comfortably.

Hyde employed the kind of direct football made famous by Wimbledon a few years ago to bludgeon their way past Borough's more silky skills. Borough found themselves a goal down at the interval when Paul Taylor's clearance was volleyed by Lloyd Richardson into Prince Moncrieff's path and he rounded goalkeeper Richard Williams to shoot home.

Four minutes later the goalkeeper was stretchered from the pitch after a heavy collision and Kevin Shoemaker took over.

Borough should have equalised in the second half when Ian Muir left Joey O'Connor in the clear but his effort struck the woodwork. Then in the dying seconds Hyde's goalkeeper saved one handed from Wayne Simpson's fierce volley.

Hyde now play Runcorn in the next round in January.

Nuneaton Borough: Williams (Shoemaker 23), Everitt, Prindiville, Simpson, Healy (Wilkin 65), Angus, Wray, O'Connor, Thomas, Muir (McKenzie 80), Gardner.