Borough, who only formed in 2011, held their illustrious, albeit youthful, hosts to a 2-2 draw in Tuesday night’s first round tie at the King’s Marsh Stadium before bowing out 5-4 on penalties.

Tom Boddey had put Borough ahead after seven minutes, the ball going in off former Borough goalkeeper Paul Walker, before substitute Joe Walker equalised three minutes after coming on as a substitute on his debut.

AFC Sudbury dominated possession and Alfie Carroll gave them the lead after 40 minutes, but they failed to kill off the game and Matt Staines bundled home eight minutes from the end to take the tie to a penalty shoot-out.

Walker, who joined AFC Sudbury before the start of this season, saved Borough’s fifth penalty from Ryan Swallow, before Jamie Eaton-Collins netted for AFC Sudbury to set up a second-round tie at home to Needham Market next month.

Ryan Weaver, Sam Hawley, Staines and Boddey had successfully converted their spot kicks for Borough, with Joe Whight, Tom Dettmar, Ben Hunter and Ollie Peters replying for the Bostik North Division side.

The second-round match will see AFC Sudbury Manager Mark Morsley lock horns with the club he guided to Premier Cup success last season.

Morsley said: “I think in reality we should have had the game won at half time, but credit to Haverhill as I thought they would tire because they spent the whole night chasing the ball but they actually got stronger in the second half and had a chance to win the game.

“They sussed us out at half time and stopped us playing the way we had been in the first half, so fair play to them. I am slightly disappointed because we want the players to work it out for themselves what they need to do.

 “If we had been playing a league game we would looked at it differently and cut out the midfield and played the ball longer, but it was an opportunity for me to get to know the players better.

“No disrespect to the competition or Haverhill, but I have not had a pre-season with these players, who were brilliant in the first half.”

Haverhill Borough boss Anthony Choat said: “We had a plan tonight as they are a good side. We will play against a lot of good sides of their ilk this season such as Felixstowe & Walton United and Coggeshall and you need to have a game plan or they will out-football you, so that is how we will set up against the top sides in our league.

“I am very proud of the boys and there is no shame in going out on penalties. If it had been a league game we would have had a well-deserved draw.

“In recent games we have been out of the game before we have been in them, culminating in last Saturday when we were 4-0 down at Wroxham at half-time.”

There was a blow for AFC Sudbury before the kick-off when Billy Holland, who had tweaked a hamstring on Saturday, felt it in the warm-up and dropped to the bench with Eaton-Collins replacing him.

The switch almost paid immediate dividends as Eaton-Collins raced clear onto Callum Watson’s through ball inside the opening 30 seconds and rattled the visitors’ crossbar.

However, it was the Thurlow Nunn Premier Division side who took the lead after seven minutes, Ryan Phillips’ free-kick to the far post being turned back across the face of goal by Boddey from almost on the byline and going in off the ankles of Walker.

There was another blow for AFC Sudbury after 13 minutes when Will Crissell was substituted after sustaining a suspected broken wrist, but Walker levelled matters up within three minutes of his arrival, sliding home at the far post from Sam Mills’s low cross from the right.

Carroll rose highest at the far post to head AFC Sudbury into the lead five minutes before the break from Whight’s right-wing corner.

Both sides had chances without troubling either goalkeeper in the second period until Staines forced the ball over the line in the 82^nd minute to set up the shoot-out.

The Teams

AFC Sudbury: Paul Walker, Sam Mills, Jake Colclough, Alfie Carroll, Will Crissell (sub Joe Walker, 13 mins), Joe Whight, Tom Dettmar, Jamie Eaton-Collins, Callum Watson (Joe Maybanks, 59 mins), Ben Hunter, Ollie Peters. Unused subs: Billy Holland, Mekhi McKenzie, Luca Collins.

Haverhill Borough: Graham Smith, Ashley Botten, John Tabrar, Sam Hawley, Robbie Alderman, Tom Boddey, Craig Pruden (sub Cody Frazier, 77 mins), Ryan Swallow, Owen Longley (sub Ryan Weaver, 71 mins), Ryan Phillips, Matt Staines. Unused subs: Lee Hurkett, Anthony Choat, Jarred Robson.

Referee: Oliver Morris-Sanders.

Attendance: 123.