A hat-trick from Harry Holland helped Baldock Town upset Thame United in a pulsating seven-goal thriller in the First Qualifying Round of the Emirates FA Cup this afternoon.
The Reds, of the Spartan South Midlands League Division One, ran out 4-3 winners against their Evo-Stik League Southern Division One East opponents to ensure their progress into the next qualifying round of the world’s original national club competition.
Lewis Barker’s delightful aerial control and smart finish opened the scoring for Hertfordshire hosts with 22 minutes gone but Thame, champions of the Hellenic League Premier Division last season, hit back quickly through Dan West.
Holland then came to the fore with two strikes to make it 3-1 but there was still time before the break for Thame’s Lynton Goss to tuck away and reduce the deficit to a single goal.
In the 56th minute, Holland calmly rounded the visiting goalkeeper before firing into the top corner to grab his hat-trick, but back came Thame, Goss again piling on the pressure with his second of the afternoon.
However, the Reds had done enough to ensure their interest in the FA Cup rumbles on.
Elsewhere, like they had done in the Bostik League North Division some weeks earlier, AFC Hornchurch got the better of Romford to see themselves through to the Second Qualifying Round.
Nathan Cooper found the net for the Urchins with 17 minutes gone, the defender dispatching a bullet header from a Brad Warner corner, and his goal proved sufficient for the visitors to run out 1-0 winners.
Littlehampton Town and Chipstead will play it again after they couldn’t be separated by the seaside.
They drew 2-2 in Sussex, with goals from the hosts’ Lee Garnham and Dan Kempson cancelled out by Jordan Martin and Sam Bell, who levelled things up and forced a replay next week by notching in the 87th minute.
In the day’s early kick-off, Evo-Stik League Southern Premier Division Kettering Town made the trip west to Romulus and sailed through to the next round with minimal fuss.
Early on, Rhys Hoenes was brought down in the box and dusted himself down to convert from the penalty spot and then three minutes into the second period, Aaron O’Connor doubled the visitors’ lead.
The Poppies’ work was completed just past the hour-mark when former Torquay United frontman Rene Howe teed up Hoenes for his second of the game, wrapping up a 3-0 success.
