Hollington United FC 2nds – 4

Mayfield – 2

As the matches start to come thick and fast the seconds entertained Mayfield on Wednesday night in the Robertsbridge Junior Cup quarter final.

Looking to continue their recent good form, the Lions started a little slow against a big Mayfield side who played some decent football. However, it was the Lions who scored first when Jay Tomlin was brought down just inside the box. With regular penalty taker Shawsy out for the season, up stepped Graham Stovell to put it away.

Although Mayfield had a lot of the ball for the rest of the half, they still couldn’t find a way through a tight well marshalled defence, with the young Callum Quigley and Brandon Kovacs forming a decent centre half / sweeper pairing.

The second half started with Mayfield having a lot of the ball and with some silly free kicks conceded 30 yards out, this looked like the only way they would score, and so it was when a free kick was floated into the box and a firm header from the opposition forward brought the scores level.

Undeterred the Lions went on the front foot and were rewarded when Stovell rounded the ‘keeper to notch his second of the game.

Back came Mayfield and yet another soft free kick conceded led to another headed goal to bring the scores level again.

Both sides had chances in the game in normal time with the Lions having two decent shouts for a penalty waved away, just two of many strange decisions from what we considered a poor refereeing performance.

So the final whistle went and onto penalties in the fast receding daylight.

Up stepped Stovell, John Steele, Jan Bailey and Sean Lennard to successfully bury their spot kicks, with Alex Ivanescu saving the third spot kick, and Mayfield missing their fourth one to put the Lions through 4-2 on penalties.

Some good performances this evening. Tomlin ran himself into the ground playing up front on his own, old Bulldog Holland’s biting and snapping as usual, Kovacs had a good game at centre half, but Martin and Bowles Man of the Match went to Graham Stovell, who since returning to the side three weeks ago has got stronger and stronger.