Holbeach United 3 Huntingdon Town 2: Nobody could have left Carter’s Park on Saturday feeling short-changed.
Even in the late manner in which this FA Vase tie was settled by Jamie Clarke’s strike, Huntingdon Town fans might concede that it was full value for money.
It had everything – 95 minutes’ commitment from two good sides, excitement, great goals, full-blooded tackles and every emotion in the book.
On another day there could have been twice as many goals, such was the intensity and end-to-end action.
However, it was Holbeach who had the lion’s share of the chances.
The first was a golden one after just five minutes. Lively Lee Dube squared the ball when he might have been better advised to be selfish.
Strike partner Clarke came steaming on to the pass but hooked his effort over the bar with the goal gaping.
Central midfield was a key battleground on a sticky pitch. The Tigers had man-of-the-match Danny Steadman and Jake Duffy pulling the strings, up against strong opposition in Luke Kennedy and Declan Rogers.
And it was Rogers who earned the corner from which Huntingdon edged ahead in controversial fashion.
The Tigers’ bench was screaming at the match officials for the ball to be correctly placed inside the corner quadrant, but no action was taken and when ex-Tulip Jacob Joyce planted a near-post header beyond Conroy, John Chand and Graham Drury were apopletic with rage.
Fortunately, centre-half Kern Miller calmed them within five minutes, drilling home an equaliser from Lee Beeson’s cross.
The Tigers then had their tails up and laid seige to the Huntingdon half, the value of their full-backs on show.
Lee Beeson teed up the overlapping Stacey Cartwright to deliver a pinpoint cross, but Clarke failed to steer his header on target.
Then Beeson, picked out by right-back Jonny Allen in an advanced position, smacked an effort wide.
Dube, too, was getting into great positions and using his strength to full effect.
If the half-time whistle came too soon for Holbeach, they showed no sign of easing up after the break.
Dube again went close after a neat link-up between Beeson and Clarke, who also had a header marginally wide.
Holbeach were turning the screw but fell victim to a classic counter-attack.
Rogers found an inordinate amount of time and space down the Huntingdon left, drawing Conroy before firing beyond him to restore the visitors’ lead.
Sadly, what had been an enthralling encounter finally lost some of its verve, a niggly period seeing the ref take the names of Tigers’ Danny Spencer and Huntingdon’s Louie Medwynter.
Then Drury and Chand used their strength in bench depth to perfection.
Craig Parker and Jermaine Palmer were thrown on in the 71st minute and were instrumental in turning around the tie.
Within six minutes, Palmer’s shot was parried by keeper Danny George and Parker pounced to sweep up the pieces for 2-2.
Relief all around – but it was about to get a whole lot better.
With just five minutesto go before a pulsating tie went into extra-time, Clarke erupted Carter’s Park by squeezing in a half-volley.
Even subbed Dube was happy to take a booking for his celebrations spilling onto the pitch.
Conroy, Allen, Cartwright, Steadman, Miller, Spencer, Beeson, Duffy, Dube (Palmer 71), Clarke (King 89), Warfield (Parker 71). Subs not used: Brown, Lovelace.
