Holt Utd 1 Caister 2

Holt bowed out of the Mummery Cup after losing at home to Caister – but there were plenty of positives to come out of the defeat.

The Owls' weakness in the first two matches was giving away goals due to not defending the middle of the pitch. They defended much better this time against a free-scoring Caister side but did concede twice in the fifth and 42nd minutes after individual mistakes, with Danny Heller and Garrett Ward on target.

Half-time substitute Tom Graver, a new signing from Sheringham, brought a good save out of the visiting keeper with a long range shot. Holt enjoyed most of the possession in the second half and in the 80th minute their work paid off when a well taken shot from Josh Clarke, turning on his left foot, hit the back of the net. Caister were lucky in the dying minutes as Matt Sanders' free-kick hit the crossbar.

Holt were missing three of their main goalscorers, Chris and Dan Fuller and Kevin Moore, who were all on holiday while Moore will be missing for the next three matches due to a suspension.

Man of the match was Zachary Daniels who has stepped up into a central midfield role from the under 18s. His positioning and energy were top notch and he defended well while starting attacks.

Holt have improved in every match and believe their first win is just around the corner. They are away to Harleston on Saturday (2.30pm) in the Norfolk Senior Cup.