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# Semi-final beckons as Liam Holt hat-trick sends Lichfield City through
- URL: https://lichfieldlive.co.uk/semi-final-beckons-as-liam-holt-hat-trick-sends-lichfield-city-fc-through/
- Published: 2014-01-13T12:48:32.000Z
- Updated: 2014-01-13T12:49:05.000Z
- Author: Lichfield Live
- Tags: #wp, #wp-post, #Import 2026-07-22 20:48

[![Liam Holt nets from the penalty spot. Pic: Mick Tyler](https://storage.ghost.io/c/e3/90/e390c3da-0866-4d2a-8ffe-ca4999d7ce1c/content/images/lichfieldlive-co-uk/wp-content/uploads/2014/01/liamholtpenalty2.jpg)](//lichfieldlive.co.uk/2014/01/13/semi-final-beckons-as-liam-holt-hat-trick-sends-lichfield-city-fc-through/sony-dsc-103/)

Liam Holt nets from the penalty spot. Pic: Mick Tyler

Lichfield City made it through to the semi-final of the cup but were made to work every step of the way by a Sporting Khalsa side that played the majority of the game with ten men.

Paul Holt’s men started well enough, a Danny Thurstance shot from 25 yards came back off the bar as City dominated the early exchanges.

And the visitors took the lead on 14 minutes when Liam Holt latched onto a through ball and took it round home stopper Mariusz Kiesel, only to be pulled to the floor leaving the referee no choice but to give the keeper a straight red card and allowing Holt to net the resulting penalty.

Sporting Khalsa were stunned by this and immediately found themselves two goals down when Kyle Minto burst through the home ranks and finished emphatically.

As on previous occasions when City play against ten men, they took their foot off the gas and to Khalsa’s credit they came back with leading scorer Liam Hughes reducing the deficit with a smart finish on 20 minutes.

Worse was to come for Lichfield as the game was all square on the half-hour mark as Hughes pounced on some hesitant defending to fire past Craig Johnson.

City were defending frantically and were nearly trailing as some neat work by Hughes ended with Mark Habbershaw heading over from ten yards.

[![Liam Holt tries to rise highest under pressure from the Sporting Khalsa keeper. Pic: Mick Tyler](https://storage.ghost.io/c/e3/90/e390c3da-0866-4d2a-8ffe-ca4999d7ce1c/content/images/lichfieldlive-co-uk/wp-content/uploads/2014/01/dsc04257.jpg)](//lichfieldlive.co.uk/2014/01/13/semi-final-beckons-as-liam-holt-hat-trick-sends-lichfield-city-fc-through/sony-dsc-101/)

Liam Holt tries to rise highest under pressure from the Sporting Khalsa keeper. Pic: Mick Tyler

But Lichfield retook the lead against the run of play as Holt’s fine left foot strike from 20 yards flew in via the post just before the break.

The second half saw Khalsa throw everything but the kitchen sink at their visitors, but found keeper Johnson in fine form as he kept out a Hughes effort before beating away a Hayden Williams chance.

A mixture of poor finishing and brave defending kept Khalsa at bay, while at the other end City had two penalty shouts turned away as Holt appeared to be bundled over on both occasions.

Sporting thought they had equalised with ten minutes remaining as Hughes slid in at the back post, but their joy was short lived as the assistant referee had his flag raised.

Lichfield eventually made the game safe in injury time in bizarre fashion. A Sporting corner was cleared and City broke with Kyle Minto finding himself through on goal with only one defender for company. He appeared to make a hash of an open goal opportunity as his weak effort was easily cleared by Ian Boswell for a throw in. But to the surprise of most people in the ground a penalty was awarded and Holt duly completed his hat-trick and to send his side into the semi final.