ROB Small praised his side’s character as Bowers & Pitsea came from behind to record a 2-1 win over Brentwood Town and book their place in the second qualifying round of the FA Cup.

Although ex-Southend United and Concord Rangers frontman Jason Williams gave Brentwood an early lead, second half efforts from Quentin Monville and Max Cornhill ensured Bowers would come out on top.

And Small was pleased to see his outfit bounce back from two consecutive defeats.

The Bowers boss said: “It was all about getting back to winning ways and remaining in the FA Cup.

“We were 1-0 down at half-time and the players showed extremely good character and a lot of bravery to come back, particularly considering we went into the game following two defeats on the bounce.

“The players did a good job to get us through because Brentwood played really well.

“We had to resolve a few things at half-time to get a result, which we did.”

Brentwood went ahead inside three minutes as Williams turned a corner beyond Bowers goalkeeper Callum Chafer.

However, Monville restored parity seven minutes after the break by firing into the bottom corner of the net.

The game was turned on its head 10 minutes later as Cornhill swept the ball home.

Brentwood were offered the chance to grab an equaliser with seven minutes remaining as Bowers captain Martyn Stokes brought down Williams and the referee pointed to the spot.

But Williams blasted the penalty over the crossbar.