Charlton striker Alfie May admitted he had personal inspiration for scoring twice in his side’s 6-1 FA Cup first-round replay win over Cray Valley at the Artic Stadium.

Now 30, May played in non-league football until he was 23 and demonstrated the hunger that has allowed him to make the transition to the professional game.

May said: “I was so excited to come back here. I’ve been like a big kid all day.

“I looked at the programme and saw Cray’s league table in it with the likes of Hythe Town and Erith & Belvedere, who were teams that I played for. Now I’m playing for Charlton in League One, which is crazy.

“I didn’t get to the first round of the FA Cup when I was in non-league. I was one round away, but you could see tonight how much it means to these type of teams.”

Charlton manager Michael Appleton praised his side’s attitude, but admitted that his team might have been reduced to 10 men just before half-time.

The League One outfit’s keeper Sam Walker brought down Kyrell Lisbie just outside the area, but referee Charles Breakspear awarded a penalty, meaning that under the double jeopardy rule, he could not send off Walker and instead gave him only a yellow card.

Appleton said: “We maybe got a little fortunate that the referee didn’t give them a free-kick because if it’s not a penalty, Sam could have potentially been sent off. But I thought we earned our fortune with the attitude we showed tonight.

“The only thing we lacked in the first half was that killer pass or touch. But we had a great attitude for the whole 95 minutes.

“There was a real focus in the group, we moved the ball really well and once the game opened up in the second half we got our rewards.”

After Lisbie cancelled out May’s opener, Charlton ran riot with Miles Leaburn, May, George Dobson, Tyreece Campbell and Micah Mbick all finding the net.

Cray Valley manager Steve McKimm was far from disappointed with the performance of his part-time players, whose FA Cup run through five qualifying rounds and two televised ties against Charlton has generated around £200,000 for the Isthmian League South East Division club.

McKimm said: “I’m super-proud of my players. They have been beaten by a top League One club.

“My players worked all day today until 4.30 or 5 o’clock, then came here and had to chase shadows at times. Trust me, the Charlton players didn’t have to work today before they came here.

“But the most pleasing thing was that we got a goal for our fans to cheer. The boys have had their moment on the TV twice and done themselves proud because Charlton had to bring out their big guns to come here and win.

“That’s our FA Cup story over and now our focus is on the FA Trophy and the league. The cup run has made the club thousands of pounds. The ground needs a couple of things doing to it to be able to go up if we were to get promoted.”

Cray Valley’s FA Cup adventure was finally ended following a 6-1 first-round replay defeat by League One Charlton at the Artic Stadium.

Having come from behind to force a replay in a 1-1 draw at the Valley 11 days earlier, the Isthmian League South East Division side were dreaming again late in the first half when Kyrell Lisbie cancelled out an Alfie May goal with a 44th-minute penalty.

That renewed hope was snuffed out when Charlton scored three goals in the opening 13 minutes of the second half.

The effervescent May, who played non-league football himself until the age of 23, scored a dazzling solo effort to add to a Miles Leaburn header before George Dobson drove a majestic 20-yard shot into the top corner.

Two Charlton substitutes completed the scoring in the final 13 minutes. Tyreece Campbell side-footed home a Dobson pass before Micah Mbick steered in a rebound.

Despite the heavy defeat, Cray Valley estimate that they have generated around £200,000 from their cup run, which started in August and took in five qualifying rounds before this first round proper tie.

The catalyst for Charlton’s victory was May, whose pace, urgency and hunger befitted a player with such deep non-league roots.

He had already fired off six shots by the time he gave Charlton a 35th-minute lead, controlling a Lucas Ness long ball sublimely on the outside of his right foot before adding a delightful dinked lob over Cray Valley keeper Sam Freeman.

The non-league side equalised when Lisbie was felled by Charlton keeper Sam Walker and then converted his spot-kick to the joy of the Cray Valley fans as well as his father Kevin, who played for both clubs and who was watching on from the nearby TV gantry.

That was before Charlton assumed total control in the second half to set up a second-round tie along the A2 at League Two side Gillingham.

A second-half own goal from Lucas Ness earned spirited part-timers Cray Valley a 1-1 draw at Charlton in an absorbing FA Cup first-round tie.

The Addicks opened the scoring in the ninth minute. Slobodan Tedic left Karoy Anderson’s pass and it allowed Scott Fraser to slot home after rounding Cray Valley goalkeeper Sam Freeman.

The hosts had more first-half chances but Tedic saw a right-footed strike from the edge of the box tipped over by Freeman while Chem Campbell headed wide from Fraser’s corner.

Tedic lifted the ball over from close range after being picked out by Charlie Kirk shortly before the interval.

But the Isthmian League South East Division side levelled in the 48th minute when a sliding Ness put the ball into his own net from an excellent cross by Kyrell Lisbie, the son of former Charlton striker Kevin.

Kirk had a huge chance to restore the home team’s lead shortly after but Freeman saved with his legs.

Charlton brought on Alfie May and Miles Leaburn to try and find a breakthrough but Cray Valley defended resiliently and deservedly set up a replay.