Holmesdale battled out an entertaining Kent Senior Trophy tie with Hollands & Blair on Saturday afternoon at Oakley Road, but despite a late rally they were just edged out by the visitors in a fiercely contested encounter.
The game got off to a flying start with both teams playing at a high intensity, the visitors created the better chances with Danny Walder going close with a free kick and Tom Walmsley acrobatically volleying over from a corner.
As the half went on Blair looked the stronger side and they made their pressure count on 27 minutes when Harry Brown sent in a powerful low free kick from out wide that sneaked in the near post off a defender to make it 1-0.
The visitors pressed from there with Walmsley & Harry Stannard having efforts saved by James Boughtflower in the Dale goal.
Holmesdale’s best chances came late on when Bronum Reynolds played in Luke Adams who he fired over and then Fred Obasa raced clear of the Blair defence, but his shot was well saved by Lewis Mitchell in the visitors’ goal.
The second half saw Holmesdale come out looking positive Lamin Baui firing just wide from 25 yards out, but on their first real attack Hollands made it 2-0 when Jack Simon played in Walmsley who cashed in on some hesitant defending to slide the ball home from just inside the area.
Seven minutes later they made it 3-0 when Walmsley found the net again, Simon with the ball in again from the wing that the striker coolly side footed in on the volley.
Dale rallied from there, Adams hit a powerful free kick from 30 yards that Mitchell did well to tip on to the bar and after Fjord Rogers had gone close with a header for Blair, Holmesdale did pull one back when Edward Sata crossed for Adams who converted his chance from close range to make it 3-1.
Dale then had a corner cleared off the line, before their pressure saw them grab a second goal when Can Yilmaz crossed for Sata who headed home for 3-2.
Despite pushing for an equaliser it just wouldn’t fall for Lee Roots’ side and Hollands & Blair held on to progress to the quarter finals, which their over all performance deserved.
Holmesdale: Boughtflower, Shield (Yilmaz 55), Sata, Rawsthorne (Ayetine 80), McCarthy, Reid-Newty, Reynolds (Miller-Anoor 55), Baui, Adams, Obasa, Semazzi.
Subs Not Used: Sands, Akinlusi.
Hollands & Blair: Mitchell, Kane, H Brown (Davies 30), B Brown, Rumbol, Gillman, Simon, Stannard, Walsley (Lyones 93), Rogers, Walder (Wright 83).
Sub Not Used: Ascheri.
Goals: Dale – Adams68, Sata 88mins. Blair – Brown 27, Walmsley 52 & 59mins.
HT 0-1 FT 2-3
Att: 40