Hollyhead accepts Kettering Town 'not good enough' as they crash out of FA Cup
Downbeat Kettering Town boss Simon Hollyhead accepted his team's performance 'wasn't good enough' as they crashed out of the FA Cup with a 2-1 defeat at fellow Pitching-In Southern League Premier Central side Quorn on Saturday.
The Poppies have been hit by illness and injury in the camp and were only able to name three substitutes for the trip to Leicestershire, with strikers Leon Lobjoit and Nile Ranger among those missing.
Ranger did arrive late for the game after battling through traffic issues, but was unable to play anyway due to injury.
It was a far from ideal situation for Hollyhead, but the Poppies boss didn't want to make excuses as his team bowed out of the FA Cup.
Jason Alexander pulled off a strong of saves to keep Kettering in the game, but they still found themselves 2-0 going into the closing stages with Quorn bossing the action.
A cracking Eddie Oppong strike reduced the arrears five minutes from time to give the vistiors hope, but the Poppies couldn't force an equaliser, and Hollyhead admitted: "The performance wasn't good enough.
"Quorn laid more gloves on us than we laid on them, although there were contributing factors to the outcome.
"There was a key moment 20 seconds before half-time, a really, really poor moment to give a goal away, but it was more than manner we gave the goal away.
"That is a decision that led to them getting the corner, and from the corner we all know what happened.
"I am not going to stand here and talk about anything other than the performance of the 12 players that played, and that wasn't good enough."
Asked about why there were only three substitutes named on the bench, Hollyhead revealed: "There is illness and Covid and sickness and other things in the camp, andultimately if people aren't well enough then they can't play.
"You would like different options on the bench, but when the only other two subs on the bench are defenders, it is a little bit limiting.
"As the game went on we went to a back three, then a back two, and then we went three up front, then three up front with three behind.
"So in some ways we were restricted with options, but you don't want to use that as an excuse, you want to look at what actually happened with the 12 guys who played."
Kettering have a free week ahead of returning to league action on Saturday when they entertain Bishop's Stortford at Latimer Park.
Interview by Peter Short