Daisy Hill’s hopes of progress in this year’s Bolton Hospital Cup were ended with a penalty shootout defeat to the Bolton Lads and Girls Club at the Ginge Power Stadium on Wednesday night.
After a goalless first half, a youthful Daisy side, comprised largely of players from the Under-18s squad, went ahead three minutes after the break with a terrific strike from Charlie Hart, before Euan McEvoy-Foland levelled for the visitors midway through the half.
With no further scoring, a penalty shootout was needed to decide the winners of the first-round tie, with the Lads and Girls Club edging through 5-4.
Despite the result, Daisy coach Lee Eckersley was full of praise for his young side after the game.
“I feel disappointment and pride in equal measure, I guess,” said Eckersley.
“Disappointment because we lost in a penalty shootout, but as everyone knows, it’s a lottery, it is what it is.
“But very proud to have pushed an experienced side like that all the way, and maybe we could have nicked it on another day, but that’s football.
“They are a big physical side, and we knew they were going to put it on us, but we just had to stand firm and we did.
“At half time, I said to the lads to just keep going. We’ve had 45 minutes of a sparring session with them. We shouldn’t be fazed by anything. Be brave, be confident, take risks, and just keep pushing.
“It’s all positives from this. I’m very pleased for us, and how we competed against an experienced and good open-age team.”
The first half was an evenly-contested affair, with the Lads Club’s best chance arriving on six minutes when Keane Mills got on the end of a cross but diverted his shot wide.
On 18 minutes Roca Latona almost curled a corner straight into the net, but Lads Club keeper Jenson Mercer tipped the ball over, and then Latona had Daisy’s best chance of the half seven minutes from half time when he just missed the target with a shot from 30 yards.
But three minutes into the second half Daisy broke the deadlock when a move down the right set up a shooting chance for Hart, and he buried a shot from 20 yards into the net off the inside of the post.
As the half wore on, the visitors began to exert more pressure, and after former Daisy striker McEvoy-Foland was denied by a good save from keeper Nathan Ball, he finally found the back of the net 16 minutes from time when he got on the end of a low cross to finish from close range.
As the game moved into the closing stages, there were delays for treatment to injured Daisy players, resulting in nine minutes of stoppage time, and in the closing moments Cutters keeper Ball made a fine point-blank stop from Gordon to deny a late winner.
Penalties were then needed to decide a winner, and after both sides missed two of their opening five penalties, the shootout went to sudden death and Callum Whitney struck the winning kick for the Lads and Girls Club to secure a tie away to Atherton Town in the quarter-finals of the competition.
The final first-round tie in the Hospital Cup will be played on Saturday when Eagley travel to Horwich St Mary’s, with the winners hosting North Walkden in the last eight.
Holders CMB needed penalties to edge past Little Lever Sports at Chew Moor on Tuesday night, when the sides were tied 1-1 after 90 minutes, and that win set up a Lostock derby clash in the quarter-final at near neighbours Tempest United, who won 1-0 at Hindsford last week.
All the quarter-finals are scheduled to be played next week, with dates to be arranged.
The semi-finals will be played during the week commencing May 4, and the final will be held at Radcliffe FC’s Neuven Stadium on Friday, May 15.
Daisy Hill are back in action tomorrow night at the Ginge Power Stadium when they host Ashton Town in the Atherton Charity Cup semi-final (7.30pm).
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