‘Unbelievable’ Roux Hardcastle the hero as Baffins Milton Rovers become first club to reach Wessex League Cup semi-finals

Hardcastle made a series of ‘unbelievable’ saves as Rovers held in-form Stoneham to a 1-1 draw on Tuesday on the hosts’ artificial surface.

The youngster also saved two penalties - one in the first half of normal time from Ed Orvis and the second in the shoot-out to give Baffins a 5-4 spot-kicks success.

The first nine penalties in the shoot-out had been converted, before Hardcastle kept out an effort from Purples top scorer Duarte Martins.

Martins had earlier put Stoneham ahead in the first minute, with Miles Everett levelling almost straight from the kick off.

‘We rode our luck at times,’ said Baffins boss Danny Thompson. ‘Our keeper was absolutely different class.

‘Roux made four saves that if they were in the Premier League they’d be talking about them for weeks, he was unbelievable.

‘The lads dug in, they stuck to the gameplan.’

Baffins had only played once in over a month prior to visiting a Stoneham side who have won all 10 of their home Wessex Premier fixture this term.

That was last weekend’s 2-0 home loss to Bemerton, where they played more than 70 minutes with 10 men - after Jason Parish was sent off - and the last 20 with just nine following Tom Vincent’s controversial red card.

‘It was a proper team effort,’ praised Thompson. ‘I had to take Charlie Oakwell, Jason Parish, Miles Everett and Joe Johnson off in the second half as they were cramping up, and they are four influential players for us.

‘We defended like lions, I was really pleased with the lads. Stoneham are one of the best passing sides I have seen in the league this season.’

Baffins have now knocked out the current Wessex Premier top two in the League Cup - they stunned Portchester 1-0 earlier in the campaign.

‘We also beat (third-placed) Horndean in the FA Cup,’ said Thompson. ‘And were were unlucky not to beat Portchester in the league. That shows we’re not too far away. We’ve got a good up and coming side, hopefully we can give it a good go next season if we can keep everyone together.’

Rovers will now wait to see who joins them in the last four of the League Cup.

They could well face lower tier opposition as Petersfield Town and Fleetlands – two of Thompson’s former clubs - meet in an all-Division 1 quarter-final.

Elsewhere, Fareham Town and Division 1 leaders Andover New Street will try again after Tuesday’s tie was abandoned at half-time due to a frozen Cams Alders surface.

Andover Town and Hamble Club still have to meet for the right to host Shaftesbury in the other quarter-final.

Thompson insists it would be a ‘massive achievement’ if he could guide Baffins to the League Cup final in his first season in charge.

Rovers also remain in the Hampshire Senior Cup, and are due to host Southern League Division 1 South strugglers Lymington on February 21.

The Wessex League Cup, which Rovers won under Steve Leigh’s managership in 2018/19, presents the most realistic chance of a trophy, though.

Thompson misses this weekend’s league trip to Hythe & Dibden after being handed a one-game stadium ban for a video interview he gave after Rovers had lost 4-3 at Hamble in November.

Assistant manager Matt Jones will be in charge, with Tyler Giddings and Josh Rose both available again after being cup tied at Stoneham.

Youngster Dan Aitken, dual signed from Gosport Borough, impressed on his first Rovers start at Stoneham - at left back - and could keep his place.

The trip to the Waterside is followed by successive home league games against US Portsmouth (next Tuesday) and rock bottom Alresford (Saturday, February 4).

‘I’m looking for seven points minimum from the next three games,’ stated Thompson.

Parish sits out all three of those matches following his dismissal for violent conduct against Bemerton.