Holbeach United 2
Fakenham Town 0
First-half goals from Jack Smith and Spencer Tinkler eased Holbeach United to an Emirates FA Cup victory over lower-graded Fakenham Town on Saturday.
Smith arrowed home the opener after 20 minutes of the extra preliminary round clash at Carter’s Park, before skipper Tinkler (40) stabbed home the second in the closing stages of the first period.
The Tigers failed to build on their lead after the break, leading boss Danny Hussey to describe their performance as “boring”.
But the boss was pleased to secure the £2,250 of FA prize money and is looking forward to a trip to Corby Town in the next round on August 24.
Hussey said: “We were against the wind in the first half, but we did well to hit them on the break and get a few goals. They had a lot of the ball, but didn’t really hurt us.
“It was a bit slow, so I told the lads to push on in the second half and put the game to bed. Sadly, that didn’t really happen and it turned into a bit of a training match.
“We started lumping it long and the ball just came back at us, which made for a boring game. If I was a fan, I’d have probably fallen asleep.
“I was disappointed with that, but the good thing is that we got the job done and can now look forward to a game in front of 500/600 fans at Corby in the next round.
“I think the club banked £2,250 for the win, which is huge for a club like this.
“We’ve not got past this stage in the last few years, so it’s a good result regardless of the performance.
“If we can go to Corby and have a good go too, the club should end up pretty well off.”
Holbeach started much the better of the two teams, with away keeper Tom Combe forced into a pair of last-ditch saves to keep out Jonny Lockie and Ryan Oliver.
A trademark looping header from Oliver then came back off the post as the Tigers began to assume control.
Indeed, the opener duly arrived midway through the first period when striker Smith expertly guided a fierce effort into the far corner after stepping inside his man.
It was the culmination of a rapid breakaway from a Fakenham corner, with the pace of Lockie key.
At the other end, Harry Exley fired over the bar from the edge of the box with only Drury to beat as Fakenham kept the Tigers honest.
But it was essentially game over five minutes before the break when Oliver nodded a ball from Josh Ford into the path of skipper Tinkler, who finished well on his left foot from ten yards.
The second half didn’t quite offer as much excitement, but Drury had to save twice to keep out efforts from Whitmore and Brain on the hour mark.
For Holbeach, it was job done – and all eyes are now on the tasty trip to Corby.
Tigers: Drury, Ford, T Smith, Wilson, Braithwaite, Jackson, Lockie, Tinkler, Oliver (Avis 72), Jack Smith (Nicholson 85), Bird (Chappell 81).
