Home win for Holwell over the Brookies!

Match Report 14/04/18

Holwell Sports 2 – 0 Holbrook Sports

As starts go on Saturday Holwell could not have got off to a better one with arguably the quickest goal of the day after only one minute forty two seconds.

After winning the ball in midfield just after the start Holwell mounted their first attack which saw the ball fed to David Hazeldine mid centre of the field just passed the half way line. Diddy looked up took four or five steps to set himself up before unleashing an unstoppable thunder bolt shot to the top right of the Holbrook goal generating equally thunderous applause from the home fans.

Just the start needed against Holbrook who are always up for the task when they play Holwell having beaten Holwell at home only ten days before in a rearranged league fixture.

With Holbrook five places above Holwell and the home side having stuttered to one win in four recently it was going to be a tough job for the home side.

It didn’t take Holbrook long to get into the game as they started to impose their fast pace up front and there was a big let off for Holwell on ten minutes as an innocuous ball into the box seemed to confuse the home defence allowing Sebastian Szondi to nip in to head the ball but his effort went just past the post. Szondi had another chance within a minute as the visitors pressed to get back on top.

Meanwhile Holwell were not fazed by Holbrook, spreading the ball around well with Cowling and Shaun Smith up front busy. Holwell had the ball in the net again on 15mins but Smith had strayed offside.

Holbrook were pressing for the next ten minutes but their star man Szondi had to leave the field with a hamstring injury early on to be replaced by Isaac Raymond and this seemed to sap some life out of the visitors.

Neither side dominated the latter stages of the half but maybe Holbrook just had the edge and came closest to equalising in the 36th minute when sub Raymond had a half chance but shot wide past Witham’s left hand post.

It was a sticky start for Holwell in the second half as Holbrook came out of the blocks desperate for an equaliser but poor finishing and inter play by their forwards helped keep Holwell in front.

Holwell were beginning to make some headway after the initial burst by the visitors as Shaun Smith did really well in the left channel on 55mins, he held off a Holbrook defender before playing the ball into the danger area where Mark Cowling picked up the ball on the edge of the six yard box. He held off a stiff challenge turning the defender at which point Michael Stevenson took on the ball moved to his right evading a defenders challenge, before bending a low shot to the left of Keeper Sam Gilbert and into the net.

At two nil up and Holwell very much on top, there was a sense of resignation in the Holbrook players that the game had gone but they still had chances as slack play in the Holwell defence let Isaac Raymond in but this time his finish again went wide of the mark.

Holwell pressed to find the goal which would kill the match. Ross Cragg, who had replaced the industrious Shaun Smith, was unlucky as two chances were presented by poor defensive errors, the most likely chance falling on 75mins but last ditch defending kept his name off the score sheet.

Kyle Reek was brought on for the tiring Mark Cowling to add pace up front and he also came close to closing out the match in the 83rd minute but Holbrook’s keeper Gilbert pulled off a great save to keep the score at two nil.

Though it looked now as though Holwell had beaten Holbrook for the second time at home this season, having put them out of the league cup in March. One last ditch attack by Holbrook in time added on, resulted in a free kick on the edge of the box as Bitmead fouled forward Isaac Minott.

However Jamie Witham pulled off a great save to keep the clean sheet for Holwell in this win, that took Holwell four places up the league ending a punishing schedule of four games in eight days.

Holwell are at home Tuesday to West Bridgford and away to Kimberley Miners Welfare FC on Saturday.

Holwell:- Witham, Wright, Bitmead, Betteridge, Chapman, Hazeldine, Stevenson, O’Grady, B Smith, Cowling(Reek), S Smith(Cragg)