Our Buildbase FA Trophy run came to an end at the semi-final stage for a second consecutive season as Hornchurch beat us on penalties.
Following a dramatic 3-3 draw, during which we led three times, Jake Reeves saw his spotkick saved as the visitors went on to score all of theirs to book their place at Wembley.
It looked like we'd be in for a comfortable afternoon when Kyle Wootton nodded us into an early lead before he was denied by a superb save shortly afterwards.
But, against the run of play, Hornchurch scored a fortunate equaliser when Lewwis Spence's long-range effort took a horrible deflection off Connell Rawlinson and nestled in Sam Slocombe's bottom corner.
It didn't take us long to restore our lead as Ruben Rodrigues guided the ball home following a composed lay-off from Enzio Boldewijn.
But Hornchurch hit back once again before the break as Liam Nash slid in to turn home a cross from the left inside the six-yard box.
The visitors continued to give their all after the interval but we thought we'd staved off the threat of a penalty shootout when Elisha Sam came off the bench to turn fellow substitute Jim O'Brien's effort into the net.
But, inside five minutes of second-half stoppage time, Nash's poacher's finish took the tie to penalties.
And, despite Wootton, O'Brien and Knowles finding the net, Chris Dickson's successful effort put the tie beyond our reach.
STARTING XI: Slocombe; Barnett, Ellis, Rawlinson, Kelly-Evans; Miller (Sam 74'), Doyle, Reeves, Boldewijn (Knowles 67'); Rodrigues (O'Brien 54'); Wootton.
UNUSED SUBS: Pilling, Chicksen, Turner, Golden