Seven years ago Shaun Keeble, then playing for Raunds Town, scored goals that helped put West Midlands Police out of the F.A. Vase 1994/95 Round Four - 4-0 at Tally Ho and the F.A. Cup 1995/96 Preliminary Round - 2-3 at Raunds after a 1-1 draw at Tally Ho!

Keeble showed he had lost none of his appetite for scoring goals and his twelve minute second half hat-trick put paid to a gallant rearguard battle by the Police defence.

West Mids afternoon got off to a bad start before the game had started with Andy Reece and Dave Harnett missing because of work, while Lee Wharmby and Kevin Usher both were withdrawn from the squad due to injury problems.

When the game kicked-off, worse was to follow, on seven minutes Police keeper Darren Carmell could only parry out a fierce shot from Phil Barnes and Lee Hudson pounced to fire home from an acute angle. Police equalised on 20 minutes when a miss-hit clearance by Holbeach keeper Kevin Cross went straight to David Blake who saw his first shot blocked by defender Dean Elston, but Blake reacted first to the rebound and rifled the ball home from just inside the box.

At this point Police were forced to substitute Dayle Speed, who had been injured by an earlier bad tackle and was replaced by Manager Jim Scott. Holbeach started to have most of the territorial advantage but dogged Police defending kept the scores level at half time.

Five minutes into the second half, against the run of play, police might have gone ahead when a snap shot from 30 yards from Ollie Laychford forced Cross into a full length save. The ball ran loose but no Police player was backing up to take advantage. Holbeach then took control with Shaun Keeble in fine form and on 72 minutes a Paul Webb clearance rebounded to Keeble, looking suspiciously offside, who hammered the ball past Carmell.

On 81 minutes, Keeble ran through a static Police defence to had number three for the visitors and three minutes later he completed his hat-trick to send Holbeach into the next round.

Match Report by Tony 'Scoop' Pearson
West Midlands Police Football Club Press Officer