Holbeach United 4
Olney Town 3
(after extra time)
An extra-time winner from Matt Warfield finally killed off plucky Olney Town on Saturday as Holbeach United kept their dreams of a United Counties League and Knockout Cup double alive.
The Tigers looked to be on cruise control against UCL Division One opposition at Carter’s Park – in what turned out to be Graham Drury’s last game as co-boss (see page 47) – thanks to an early Lee Dube double (2 & 5).
But Olney, who are tenth in the UCL’s second tier, stunned the hosts and hit back to level with goals from Chris Small (30) and Danny Webb (53).
That man Dube completed his hat-trick on 67 minutes to make it a remarkable eight goals in four games, only for the visitors to force an additional period with another leveller from Aaron Murrell 13 minutes from time.
It was the second Saturday on the spin that Holbeach had been forced to play extra time, having cruelly lost their FA Vase clash with Erith and Belvedere the previous weekend.
However, club legend Warfield ensured that there would be no back-to-back heartache as he buried a decisive effort in the 104th minute to book a quarter-final with Potton United.
John Chand, who is now in sole charge of the Tigers, wasn’t overly impressed with the performance. But he does believe that his charges can go on to clinch a double.
He said: “We started very well and deserved to go 2-0 up. But we became way too casual – and once again showed our Achilles heel of playing in second gear against a so-called lesser team.
“We seem to think we have a God-given right to win this kind of game. I told the lads to show a bit more desire before extra time started – and thankfully, that’s what they did.
“No disrespect to Olney, they did very well. But we made very hard work of it.
“I do think the double is still a very realistic possibility. It’s all about chalking games off at this level. We need to take it game by game and keep our attitude right. It’s no good winning the big games if you can’t see off the lesser sides.”
Chand also praised the performance of hat-trick hero Dube, who is reportedly attracting interest from Evo-Stik League Premier DIvision outfit Grantham Town.
The Tigers chief reckons the 19-goal hitman should stay with Holbeach for the rest of the season, but believes he is more than capable of playing at a much higher level.
Chand added: “I think Lee is destined for a big future. He’s been on incredible form in recent weeks.
“I’m aware that other sides are looking at him and I’ve heard Grantham mentioned.
“We’ve received no approach for him yet, but I’d hope that he stays with us.
“Lee’s a pleasure to work with and I’d never stand in his way of progressing. But sometimes you’ve got to pick the right time to leave.
“With eight weeks of the season left, he’s playing week in, week out here and we’re going for trophies.”
Tigers: Conroy, Anton, Warfield, Steadman (Drury), Brown, Cartwright (King), Kirby (Beeson), Duffy, Dube, Clarke, Gibson.
Attendance: 107
