HOLMES SOLVES IT

Salisbury number 9 Toby Holmes produced two clinical strikes to end Kings’ Trophy hopes and their unbeaten hold over the Whites, while his opposite number Mitchell Weiss found that his contender for goal of the month was not enough in response. With injuries and a suspension ruling out seven key players, Kings had signed Casey Linsell from Harpenden Town and Alex Anderson from Hitchin Town and both made their first starts, while Evans Lamboh and Jamie Calvin formed part of the bench alongside Max Hercules and keeper Jake Victor in a squad stretched to the bones. Despite Salisbury pressing from the off, it was Kings who made all the chances in the first quarter with a through pass from Louie Collier freeing Weiss to bring out the best in Gerard Benfield and then executing an audacious back-heel to give Casey Linsell a shot blocked on the line. Further good defending saw a Roddy Collins opportunity beaten away, before Salisbury came into the game with a Josh Sommerton effort skimming the top of the bar. Two minutes later the home side took the lead when the splendidly named Shaquille Hippolyte-Patrick eluded Kane Farrell on the wing and a low pin-point cross was turned home by Holmes. The visitors responded with a quality move between Stevie Ward, Louie Collier and Roddy Collins ending with the latter’s shot again blocked almost on the line, but the equalizer came soon after when a Casey Linsell flick on received a first touch into the path of Mitchell Weiss and the striker hit a curving shot on the half volley over the soaring Benfield. Two well matched sides were now slugging it out to gain the next
advantage and the half closed with a dazzling Stevie Ward wing run into the box finally halted after he’d ridden several borderline tackles. The better chances continued to fall to kings after the break, Callum Adebiyi surprised that a swirling free kick eluded all to reach him on the far post and stabbed wide, while Benfield made a hash of throwing the ball out to launch an attack and Mitchell Weiss was unable to take advantage. Inevitably, Kings were to rue the low conversion rate of those chances. Holmes had trodden the same path minutes earlier, when he broke free of the defence only to be thwarted by the outstretched foot of Melvin Minter when one on one with the keeper, but as the clock hit the hour mark, he judged the offside trap well to find the ball at his feet and this time his finish was clinical. The Whites joy turned to despair five minutes later when Bay Downing received two yellows within the space of five minutes and Kings came agonizingly close when Max Hercules fell victim to a superb defensive block as his close range shot looked to be heading home. Salisbury organized themselves well and defended what they had, while Kings midfield, previously so eye-catching, became bogged down to the extent that the numeric advantage was not obvious and Melvin Minter had to pull off a great tip over from Kevin Amankwaah. With a minute of normal time left, Stevie Ward stabbed a golden close range opportunity wide in a cameo of the afternoon’s chances and Kings race was run. However, Kings bow out with heads held high, knowing they were more than a match for their opponents under difficult circumstances, let down only by their finishing on the day.