No Cup success for Holwell this year!

Holwell Sports 0 – 3 Graham St Prims

Playing against their bogey team Graham St Prims and on a ground Holwell can’t seem to win on there was some trepidation in the minds of those that have seen the good and the bad of Holwell this year.
Missing skipper Michael Stevenson who was so influential on Saturday Graham Keast was brought back in to run the midfield.

Both sides were straight at each other with nerves showing on both sides but within two minutes Holwell were chasing the game Prims winger on the right Ross Coxon sped up the wing leaving Holwell defenders for dead. As he crossed low, Harris’s run into the box was not picked up and his low centre along the front of the goal found that man Ben Rushby at the back post with an easy tap in to open the score. Just the guy Holwell did not want to see score on the night!

But Mooney had the chance to amend the score within a minute but chose to delay rather than shoot and the opportunity was lost this could have been a changer getting back so soon?

What a start and what followed was backs to the wall stuff for Holwell as wave after wave of pacey football made you wonder how Holwell had actually got to this stage of the cup. On five minutes it should have been two nil, as Phil Summerfield rattled the Holwell bar after a free header from a corner.

But Holwell stuck at it and defended resolutely with McKay clearing off his line on 8mins as the tide was now one way.

Bitmead had a chance on 9mins at a corner but his header went wide of the post. Tinsley had a chance on 14mins but decided to head rather than wait for the ball to drop and his attempt was weak.

Prims winger Coxon was ripping Holwell apart on the right with speed and touch, forcing two corners in succession mid way through the half. On the second occasion Holwell’s Randall and Prims Harris got in a tangle on the edge of the box with claims of a head butt by Randall. Fortunately for the Holwell player neither of the officials saw the incident or it would have certainly been a red card and a penalty to Prims!

Foster was booked for a studs up challenge on Bushby mid way through the half but the game was getting beyond Holwell when on 36mins Holwell were undone again with another right sided attack when first Bitmead tackled fresh air as the player had gone then McKay failed to stop Coxon again as he played in Matt Harris who slammed a shot passed Richard Cragg high up at his near post to put Prims two up. HT 0-2
Nothing changed for Holwell in the second half with the supporters pretty dejected by what they were seeing and on 55 minutes it was all over as Ben Rushby picked up the ball in the box and as the Holwell defenders looked on he had so much time to control the ball decide what he wanted to do and then shoot past Cragg for number three.

Holwell went to bits after this and Foster was shown a second yellow card and then red, for a scything tackle on Briggs on 69mins.

This was shortly followed by an incident involving the Holwell Technical area and the assistant referee Marriott which ended up with substituted Jamie McKay being red carded and manager Daws sent away from the dug out. FT 0-3