A disappointing trip down Meadow Lane?

Match Report 10/04/18
Birstall Utd 2 – 1 Holwell Sports FC

With the first half being nothing more than turgid, akin to a long rally with no real advantage in tennis, one end to the other, both teams went into the break scoreless.

The highlight for Holwell being Tinsley clean through on 34mins but shot well over with only the keeper to beat.

When the teams came out for the second half it seemed some Holwell players had left their thoughts in the changing room as two minutes in the home side were ahead when Ryan Foster benefitted from “hesitation” in the visitors defence. A long ball into the box saw Witham come for the ball or did he? Some of the defenders thought he did maybe not but he was caught in no man’s land allowing Foster to nip in lob the keeper one nil!

Holwell picked themselves up pushing on with Tinsley again given a half chance from a very tight angle, his effort unluckily came back off the cross bar down and out not down and in unfortunately.

But Holwell were still in with a chance and on 71mins Tinsley at last deservedly got on the score sheet when he blasted home after a slick ball from midfield, the player cutting in from the right at an acute angle and this time his shot going in off the post.

However Birstall went two one up seven minutes later when Holwell failed to deal with a corner from the left. Holwell’s Andrews was injured leading up to the corner and after a lengthy stop for treatment he was replaced by Woodcock. Sam Moore waited whilst the player was treated but his accurate centre was met on the full by Dan Jelly who seemed to have a free header to put Birstall back in front.

Holwell tried to get back into the game but failed to get back on terms after getting themselves back into the game at one one.

At one one, there seemed an acceptance that the draw would have been a successful result having been beaten seven one by Birstall in the first few weeks of the season where if Holwell had shown more belief and conviction, having come from behind, if they had just dug deeper built on that recovery with a belief they could go on to win, and actually got more into Birstall this result could easily have been reversed?

Holwell - Witham, B Smith, Bitmead, Andrews(Woodcock), Betteridge, Stevenson(S Smith), O’Grady, Reek(Cragg), Ambrose, Cowling, Tinsley