BY DAN BRIAN

Bishops Cleeve FC hosted FA Cup action on the weekend, as Poole Town made the long trip to Kayte Lane for the first round of qualifying.

The game ended 2-1 to the hosts in something of an upset, with second-half goals from Reegan Messenger and Charlie Holliday overturning the 1-0 deficit they went into half-time with.

After a quiet first 10 minutes, the tier-above Poole threatened for the first time, and would have taken an early lead if not for a goal-line clearance from Jake Lee.

Seven minutes later, Adulai Sambu nearly forced the opposition keeper into a costly mistake, with his high press almost causing him to get his bearings completely wrong.

Despite this, the score stayed at 0-0, and a poor header gave the visitors a one-on-one in the 24th minute, stopped only by a sweeping Lewis Clayton.

With 10 minutes left to go before half-time, a delivery into the Poole penalty area eventually fell for Messenger, whose half-volleyed effort could only fly over.

The first half action was far from over though, and the visitors took the lead with a minute left on a clinical counter-attack.

The sides went into the break with the goal between them, but it was all still to play for in the second half.

Said second half nearly started with a second goal for Poole, but a solid save from the foot of Clayton kept the deficit at just the one.

Cleeve’s first effort after the restart came through Messenger, whose low effort was off-target but showed that the hosts were still very much in the tie.

The number 12’s involvement was far from over, too, and proved this by heading home the equaliser with 58 minutes played.

The goal was no doubt well worked, with Messenger heading home from a fine Aaron Evans-Harriott corner, but there was arguably a lapse or two in concentration from the Poole defence.

The lapses didn’t appear to be short-lived either, as a poor clearance from a corner 10 minutes later gave Cleeve the chance to keep an attack going.

The ball ended up with Holliday on the right side of the box, who skipped between two defenders with ease before firing a rocket into the top-left corner, which turned Kayte Lane ecstatic.

In the 77th minute, a Poole off-target effort nearly turned into an equaliser, as it hit one of their own players and very nearly deflected into the bottom-left corner.

As it didn’t, however, Cleeve heads remained very much high, and an outrageous chipped effort from Holliday proved exactly that as it bounced off the crossbar and behind.

As the game crept towards injury time, he found himself with another chance to shoot, but this time he couldn’t keep his effort down.

Five additional minutes were added, and after three minutes of football and two of Cleeve expertly keeping the ball anywhere but their own half, the referee blew for full-time, meaning the Mitres progressed in the FA Cup.

Attention now turns to Barnstaple away next weekend, as Paul Collicutt’s side return to league action.