FA Cup - Extra Preliminary Round - 14/08/10

Holbeach United 0 v 1 Radcliffe Olympic

Radcliffe Olympic made history as they played their first ever FA Cup tie in their 134 year history and came away from Holbeach United with a 1-0 victory, with Carl Westcarr scoring a stunning goal on 72 minutes.

Radcliffe made the journey to Lincolnshire to face Holbeach United from the United Counties League, one level higher than Radcliffe in the pyramid system, in the extra preliminary round of the competition. They named an unchanged team from the one that won their opening league match 2-0 at Barrow last week, with Aaron Korol and Phil Massingham joining Ash Brandy, Josh Royce and Danny Blanchard on the bench.

Radcliffe got off to a bright start having most of the possession and creating the majority of the early chances. In the opening minutes Carl Westcarr created space inside the Holbeach area before having his close range shot blocked. Drew Hatton worked the ball down the right to pull it back to Grant Walton who sent his low shot wide. Following a free kick, the ball fell to Tom Maddison on the edge of the area who struck a superb shot that went within a whisker of the post. Radcliffe worked the ball well down the left to release Ben Richardson who cut inside to fire goal wards, only for his fierce shot to strike the foot of the post.

It took until the 19th minute for Holbeach to have their first effort on goal; following a free kick in the Radcliffe half Jake Mason hooked the ball wide. As the players moved out of the area for the resultant goal kick Radcliffe found themselves down to 10 men. Sean Keeble and Grant Walton exchanged words; Walton retaliated after being elbowed by the experienced Keeble who then went down in dramatic fashion, unfortunately the referee saw the second offence but not the first and Walton suffered the consequences. Radcliffe reorganised, yet continued to have more of the play. Hatton drilled the ball just wide following a controlled move down the left and was then brought down in full flight on the edge of the area; Maddison's free kick cleared the wall before going just wide. A rare Holbeach effort resulted in Mason advancing to the edge of the area before sending a good effort just over the bar.

Half Time: 0-1

The second half continued in the same manner, with Radcliffe continuing to dominate and create the clearer chances with their flowing football. They won a series of free kicks in which James Spence looked dangerous; following one of them, Radcliffe should have been awarded a clear cut penalty after Warfield handled the ball just yards from goal under pressure from Spence. Westcarr got past his man down the right to send in a blistering shot that Sam Cole could only parry; the ball fell to Hatton following up, but he dwelt on the ball and the chance was gone. Anderson's audacious chip from 25 yards almost caught Cole off his line but the keeper frantically back peddled to tip the ball over. Maddison slotted the ball through to Richardson, but his shot lacked power and was comfortably saved by Cole. Radcliffe were rewarded for their positive approach on 72 minutes when Anderson played a short pass to Westcarr on the right corner of the Holbeach area. Surrounded by defenders, he appeared to have few options, but he turned inside to made space to unleash a spectacular shot that curled beyond the keeper into the opposite top corner. The players and large following of Radcliffe supporters went wild - but it was no more than they deserved.

Holbeach responded as Claudio Hoban - the pick of their attack, sent in a fierce shot that Mountain clung onto, yet it was still Radcliffe who continued to create the clearer chances. Richardson's pass gave Westcarr a clear run on goal, but with just the keeper to beat, Cole came of his line to save before Massingham and Korol replaced Hatton and Richardson. Massingham then found himself one on one with Cole but once again the keeper came off his line to save. With just minutes remaining Hoban went on a run across the edge of the Radcliffe area before being brought down to give Holbeach a free kick in a dangerous position. There was silence around the ground as Omar Joof stepped up to take the kick, but to the relief of the Radcliffe contingent blazed it over the bar. Still the game was not over, as the referee indicated that there was to be a further 5 minutes of added time. This eventually resulted in 7 minutes extra being played before the sound of the final whistle which was met with a great feeling of relief and jubilation from the whole of the Radcliffe following.

Full Time: 0-1

Many thought Radcliffe Olympic would never be in a position to enter the prestigious FA Cup competition. It's been a long time coming but well worth the wait. There is a feeling of pride amongst all those at the club who have worked so hard on and off the field to make it possible. Full credit to the team who for 70 minutes of the game played with 10 men; yet against the odds still managed to out play the opposition. The whole team can be proud of their performance. They now face another Lincolnshire team in the Preliminary round of the competition when they meet Wisbech Town from the Eastern Counties League at home on August 28th.

Report by John Watts

Radcliffe Olympic: J Mountain, A Miles, W Spencer, D Hawkes, J Spence, T Maddison, B Richardson (A Korol), C Anderson, G Walton, C Westcarr, D Hatton (P Massingham).

Subs (not used): A Brandy, D Blanchard, J Royce.

Holbeach United: S Cole, A Caress, M Warfield, J Webster, D Elston, P Smith, J Allen, O Joof, S Keeble, J Mason, C Hoban.

Subs: C Lambe, C Laszio, A Johnson, A Slater, A Baker.

Referee: M Wayne-Bright. Assistants: G Parker, R Page.