Holbeach United 2
Boston Town 4
Ten-man Holbeach crashed out of the FA Cup on Saturday as rivals Boston Town ended the 100 per cent record of co-bosses John Chand and Graham Drury.
The Tigers missed chance after chance in a one-sided first period at Carter’s Park, before defender Danny Spencer lashed home a deserved opener on 38 minutes.
Inspired by a triple substitution at half time, Boston roared back and levelled through Alex Beck (51), before the same player was fouled in the box by Holbeach keeper Nick Conroy for a clear penalty.
Conroy was sent off and Matt Kennedy buried the penalty (62), only for Gary King to level almost instantly (63).
However, Callum Walker fired under stand-in keeper Ollie Pinner to put Boston back ahead 15 minutes from time and Lori Borbely sealed the Poachers’ progress five minutes into added time.
The duo meet again in the UCL Premier Division on Tuesday night in what will be a mouth-watering rematch.
Holbeach were dealt a blow in the warm-up, with striker Tommy Treacher pulling his calf and having to be replaced by King.
The hosts started slowly too, with Conroy almost undone by a long ball forward that bounced over his head. Fortunately for the keeper, he had defenders covering and the danger was cleared.
From then on the Tigers clicked. Lee Beeson delivered a superb cross for Lee Dube at the back post, but his header was well saved.
Top scorer Dube then glanced a powerful header inches past the top corner following a Beeson corner, while King nodded a Danny Steadman delivery wide of the other post.
The breakthrough finally came seven minutes before the break. Beeson, as ever, was the instigator with a dangerous corner that eventually found its way to Spencer, who fired a fierce left-footed effort into the bottom corner through a crowed box.
It was very nearly 2-0 moments later when King clipped an excellent ball into the box for Duffy, who sent a flying header off the angle of post and bar.
Not done there, Dube directed a header wide of the post with the goal gaping following an expert delivery from Ash Fuller on the left.
Boston changed their shape at the break, with Aron Eyett, Tom Charlsworth and Walker all coming on – and it worked wonders.
Ex-Deeping Rangers and Holbeach frontman Beck wiped out the home lead within six minutes of the restart with a clinical finish in the box.
Worse was to follow, with Jonny Allen missing a header in the box and allowing Beck to nick the ball past Conroy, who cleaned him out.
The referee deemed it a red card – and with no sub keeper on the bench, ex-Boston skipper Pinner was forced to go in goal. He could do nothing about Kennedy’s penalty, which sent him the wrong way.
Despite their numerical disadvantage, Holbeach were soon level when King fired into an empty net after Dube’s header was acrobatically saved.
That was as good as it got for the Tigers, though. Pinner was forced to save admirably from a clean-through Beck, but couldn’t keep out a low effort from Walker that squirmed under his body.
The hosts thew everything at Boston in the final few minutes, but paid the price when Borbely got in behind their defence and rounded Pinner before rounding off the win.
It’s they who will visit King’s Lynn Town in the next round, with Holbeach concentrating on gaining immediate revenge at Tattershall Road on Tuesday (7.45pm).
Stunned joint chief Chand said: “I think we should have put the game to bed in the first half. If you don’t take your chances in football, you don’t win.
“The sending off is the key moment – and I don’t think we can have any complaints about the decision.
“What I will say is that we’ve seen something very similar here last week against Long Buckby and that wasn’t give as a red.
“A red card is the right decision, but in a tight game it was critical.
“After that we went and equalised, but showed a little bit of inexperience chasing a third goal and left ourselves too exposed.
“We’ve got a sub keeper, but he chose to go and play elsewhere to get some minutes. It’s unfortunate, as I don’t think we’d have lost if he was there to come on.
“Ollie was brave to go in goal, but he’s not a keeper. Their third has gone under him, which is no fault of his own.
“It’s a bitter pill to swallow. The FA Cup generates a lot of money for the club. But let’s be honest, we’re not going to win the competition… and neither are they.
“We saw their really big celebration at the end – and good luck to them. But we’ve got the chance to right the wrongs on Tuesday.
“This loss is very disappointing, but if I had to pick one I’d rather lose in the FA Cup than in the league, which is our bread and butter.”
Tigers: Conroy, Allen, Spencer, Pinner, Steadman (Meade 55), Stevens, Beeson, Duffy, Dube (Delahoy 88), King, Fuller (Parker 76). Not used: Warfield.
