Holbeach United 2
Eynesbury Rovers 0
Resurgent Holbeach United produced one of the best performances of their season so far to beat high-flying Eynesbury Rovers 2-0 on Saturday.
Second-half goals from Jake Clitheroe and new signing Charley Sanders settled the ChromaSport UCL Premier Division clash at Carter’s Park, as the Tigers bounced back from a horror show at Kirby Muxloe the previous week.
Happy Holbeach boss Seb Hayes, who had publicly slammed his side in the build-up to the game, felt that the performance was dominant from his side – and now wants them to replicate that on a weekly basis.
Hayes said: “It was a massively improved performance. We totally dominated from the first minute to the last – and nobody could have complained if we’d scored six.
“It’s got nothing to do with me ranting in the paper or to the players, we just made a few changes and things seemed to work really well.
“The lads trained well on Tuesday and we got together for a chat about things. Daz Edey (number two) also changed the pre-match warm-up and they seemed to respond well to it.
“Even during the team talk I could see that they were really up for the game and that really transferred onto the pitch.
“To be honest, it was a complete performance. They did have two good one-on-one chances, but we had enough to get six or seven
“In a way, it was frustrating to see how well we played after such a poor game at Kirby Muxloe the week before. You just wonder how that sort of thing happens.
“Overall, five wins from my first nine league games isn’t too bad. I feel we’re six points short of where we should be, but it’s not as bad as it could be.
“Myself and the team are aware of a few people outside of the club mocking us for dropping a few places down the table since we took over. Those people aren’t aware of the changes we’ve had to make and the situation we’ve had to face here.
“But I now feel like we’ve made small steps towards where I want Holbeach United to be. If we can replicate Saturday’s performance for the rest of the season, we’ll certainly finish in a respectable position.
“Mitch Griffiths filled in at right back and was superb. I want him further forward, but he’s happy to play there and can really influence games from deep. He was basically a wing back.
“Zak Munton also showed what he’s capable of – he could have had a first-half hat-trick. I know what he’s capable of, but it’s great that he’s now shown the Holbeach fans. He was unbelievably good.
“Young Dan Dougill was also superb in midfield, while Stuart Muldrew has been very patient and took his chance well.
“The likes of Josh Ford and Nick Jackson also stood out as always, but it was a top team display.
“With the talent we’ve got at our disposal here, that’s the kind of performance we’re capable of.
“A few of the fans said afterwards that it was the best performance of the season. That’s all down to the players, they were superb.
“Now the trick is replicating the performance week in, week out.”
Tigers: Drury, Griffiths, Stevens, N Jackson, Cartwright, Tinker, Muldrew, Dougill, Munton, Clitheroe, Ford (Sanders 70). Not used: Pinner, Warfield, Madigan.
