Roux Hardcastle the spot-kick hero again as Baffins Milton Rovers keep Wessex League flag flying in the Hampshire Senior Cup
For the second month running, the teenage shot-stopper was the star as Rovers progressed to the quarter-finals of the Hampshire Senior Cup last night.
Hardcastle kept out the final two Lymington Town spot-kicks, from Dylan Print and Ryan Fuller, to give Baffins a 7-6 victory at the PMC Stadium.
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Hide AdLast month, Hardcastle had also kept out two penalties - one in normal time, the other in the shoot-out - as Baffins defeated Stoneham to reach the semi-finals of the Wessex League Cup.
He has also saved penalties in the league this season and last August kept out a Connor Duffin spot-kick in an FA Cup win over Horndean.
Print had the chance to win it for Lymington after Jack Francis had missed for Baffins at 6-6 in sudden death.
Harvey Wellham converted from 12 yards before Hardcastle kept out Fuller’s kick to book Rovers a trip to either Aldershot or Sholing.
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Hide AdThe initial tie between the National League club and the Southern League Division 1 South leaders was abandoned at the end of November due to fog. The teams try again on March 7.
Baffins boss Danny Thompson was a relieved man after watching his men progress.
‘We almost threw it away,’ he confessed after Lymo had hit back following Baffins taking a 3-0 lead inside 35 minutes.
Jason Parish (2) and Joe Johnson put Rovers in control before the higher tier visitors forced penalties courtesy of a 92nd minute leveller from ex-Portchester player Owen Fee.
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Hide AdParish, Johnson and Kelvin Robinson were deployed as a front three, and Thompson said: ‘We blew them away in the first half with our pace and power up front.
‘It was probably the best we have played all season. I knew if we could get in behind their defence we’d cause problems - it could have been four or five at half-time.
‘It was a great achievement for the players and the club.
‘For me, I’d love to go to Aldershot in the next round, it would be fantastic to go to a National League club.
‘It’s a big ask (beating Aldershot or Sholing) but you never know. It can be done, I’ve been there before.’
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Hide AdThat was a reference to when Thompson played for Fareham Town in 2003/04 when Jon Gittens’ Wessex League side reached the Hampshire Senior Cup final.
On the way they knocked out Paul Doswell’s Eastleigh in the quarter-finals before beating Havant & Waterlooville in the last four.
The other three HSC quarter-finals this season are already known - AFC Bournemouth v Portsmouth, Bashley v Eastleigh and Farnborough v Basingstoke.