Hardly Athletic cup campaign got off to a bad start as the side, with two league defeats already this season, lost 5-0 to Stanley Park Avenue.
Division Two side Hardly competed in the main against the Premier League side but slack marking, as usual, was the difference with free runners finishing expertly past both part time keepers employed by Athletic, one in each half of the encounter.
Hardly have been handed a tough group in the cup, with four Premier League sides and three Division One sides leaving Hardly as underdogs looking for a shock in every game they play.