Seb Hayes admits that seeing star striker Josh Ford get sent off for dissent on Saturday actually pleased him.
The Holbeach United boss has been calling for more passion and aggression from his side – and he certainly got that in last weekend’s 2-0 win over ON Chenecks.
A number of Ford’s other Tigers team-mates were also involved in heated arguments with the official, with Hayes feeling his side have been on the wrong end of some poor decisions in recent weeks.
But instead of blasting them for ill discipline, Hayes reckons that it proves his players care.
He’s hoping they take that fiery attitude into this week’s ChromaSport UCL Premier Division double-header. Holbeach visit Harborough Town on Saturday (3pm), before welcoming Newport Pagnell to Carter’s Park on Wednesday (7.45pm).
Hayes said: “It’s funny really, you never want to see your players sent off.
“But, in a way, it showed that they care. I’ve been asking for passion, so I can’t be too critical.
“We do feel like we’ve had some poor refereeing performances in recent weeks, but that’s no excuse for some of our performances.
“Saying that, Saturday was much better. We showed we can play a passing game and go back to front – it was encouraging.
“I’ve learned that I need to expect the unexpected, so I’m not setting any targets for these games or the rest of the season.
“We’ve won four of our last six in the league and kept four clean sheets, which is probably as good as anyone at the moment.
“Maybe I need to look at myself and enjoy these wins more, instead of getting angry about our inconsistency.
“All I’m asking is that we finish the season as well as we can and that the lads try to show just a little more consistency.”
The availability of striker Jake Clitheroe is unclear ahead of both games, while Jamie Stevens isn’t expected to feature. Hayes feels he rushed him back from injury too soon and wants to give him time off.
Dan Dougill is also on under-18 duty with Lincolnshire.
- The new function room at Bar Tigers (at Carter’s Park) opens on Friday night (7pm).
Holbeach fans are invited to come down and have a look.
