Hollands & Blair remain in two cup competitions - but were saved from elimination in the Kent Senior Trophy by a frozen pitch.

Blair - who eased past Welling Town in the Challenge Cup on Tuesday night - were heading out of the Trophy on Saturday after trailing 2-1 in extra-time at Punjab United, before referee Harry Phillips abandoned the fixture with 105 minutes played.

Blair had led after just nine minutes when Kieran Sharp headed home a Harry Brown corner, but for the second week running - having played at Punjab the week before - they conceded a 90th-minute equaliser.

Scott Porter admitted that goal had rocked his Blair side and they were “dead on their feet” as Paul Vines added a second for Punjab in extra-time.

The Blair boss admitted the surface wasn’t in great condition prior to kick-off and there was a debate in the middle of the pitch during half-time of extra-time over whether to continue.

Porter said: “To go into extra-time with them scoring a last-minute equaliser for the second week on the trot knocked the stuffing out of everyone.

“In the first half of extra-time they got the goal and we were dead on our feet, we were never going to win that game, simple as that.

“Everyone could see it. The goal at the end [of normal time] knocked us for six. It’s a tough place to go, the pitch was very heavy again, conditions played their part the week before.

“The referee called me over and asked what I thought. I didn’t want to be a scapegoat, I told him it was nothing to do with me, I am a manager, he had to take responsibility.

“I had 11 players to worry about, he had 22 to worry about. I said ‘you are the referee, you make the decision’ and he ran up the other end and it was rock hard. He called it off, that was that.

“It gives us a lifeline. I can see their frustration, massively, because we were gone. It wasn’t my decision it was the referee’s.”

The quarter-final will be replayed at Punjab this Tuesday.

Blair had little time to recover from a tough weekend but comfortably beat Welling Town 6-2 in the Challenge Cup Third Round on Tuesday night.

Both teams were reduced to 10 men early on after Joe Kane was involved in an altercation with an opposing player, leading to both receiving red cards. From the resulting free-kick Brown put Blair in front.

Harvey Welford’s goal doubled their advantage but Rob Gilman headed past his own keeper.

Brown put them 3-1 up from the penalty spot, Gilman nodded one into the right net for four, Welford lobbed in a fifth and Fjord Rogers made it six before Blair conceded their now customary last-minute goal.

Blair are away to Glebe this Saturday.