Manager and ‘keeper see red but side stay strong
Holyport boss Sam Lock says his players are set for ‘bright futures’ after they were able to see out an anxious final 30 minutes against Ascot United at Summerleaze.
On Saturday, Port were able to defend a 2-1 lead in the FA Cup preliminary round for over halfan-hour with 10 men on the pitch and no manager on the sidelines.
Mohammed Ayoub first saw red for an altercation with Marcus Mealing – following a spell of time-wasting – and Lock was sent off shortly after for dissent.
Harry Grant would later receive his marching orders for a poor tackle but the Yellamen were arguably far more comfortable on the pitch despite being a man down.
It remains to be seen what punishments the goalkeeper and manager will receive and whether they will be eligible to participate in Port’s first round qualifying clash with Binfield (Saturday, September 3).
But that concern was firmly at the back of Lock’s mind at fulltime as he commended his side’s performance and will to win.
“These young boys have run through brick walls for me today. We had to survive 30 minutes, plus added time, with 10 men and with no manager on the sidelines,” he said.
“It was all a bit manic but the team stood up to the challenge and defended with all their heart. I’m not going to name individuals, but there are some talented boys in this group.
“They’re all set for bright futures in the game. They’re young, they want to learn, and they want to go up the ladder. As a manager, I enjoy working with young players – I have done that before at Maidenhead (United).
“I couldn’t be prouder of them today. They did fantastic.”
On his and Ayoub’s dismissal, Lock added: “Basically, because our goalkeeper was time-wasting their striker grabbed him and, as he’s done that, Mohammed grabbed him back and threw him down. The referee thought his arm was raised too and sent him off.
“He hasn’t touched his (Mealing’s) face but because he’s rolling around on the floor I said, ‘you’ve been cheated ref’ and he said, ‘you can’t call me a cheat’ and shown me a red card too.
“But look, I spoke to him after the game, he listened to what I had to say and understands I would never ever call someone a cheat. I’m not 100 per cent sure what happens next.
He added: “I might have a little fine but with the prize money the club have made, I’m sure they wouldn’t mind paying it off for me.”