Yaxley 0
Holbeach United 2
Seb Hayes saluted a job well done as Holbeach United superbly put ChromaSport UCL Premier Division title rivals Yaxley to the sword on Tuesday night.
Goals from George Zuerner (18) and Joe Smith (81) ensured that the Tigers won 2-0 at In2Itive Park – and climbed back up to third in the table.
Having lost 3-0 at the same venue in the UCL KO Cup semi-final three weeks earlier, boss Hayes and his side produced a tactical masterclass to subdue the classy Cuckoos and hand new boss Andy Furnell the first league defeat of his three-month reign at the club.
Holbeach suffocated their hosts with a 4-5-1 formation and grabbed goals at vital times, leaving Hayes to praise his side’s work-rate.
“When you get battered in a game like we did here, you’re an idiot if you don’t learn from it,” said the Tigers chief. “We knew what we had to do, which was stop the service out wide. So we played 4-5-1 and played a pressing game.
“The plan was to allow them to have the ball in areas that couldn’t hurt us. We kept our shape and out-worked them.
“If we score the first goal, we believe that we’ll win the game. More often than not, we do.
“We’re very strong from set-pieces and the delivery from Danny Brooks was second-to-none and that’s how we went ahead.
“The boys stuck to the gameplan superbly. They knew that, once we got into them and rattled them, we’re a better team at doing that than they are.
“We play a certain way. It might not be a way everyone likes, but I don’t care really – it’s all about winning.
“It’s another clean sheet and we’ve got to push on now. We backed ourselves to do the job on Yaxley – as we knew that, if it didn’t work, we’d be in trouble.
“I’m buzzing with the win. It’s one over a title rival and a result that nobody would have expected.
“We’ve done the double over them in the league now, so it really sets us up for the two home games we now have in a row.”
Yaxley bossed possession from the off and threatened twice in the first ten minutes through Dan Cotton. The forward forced a smart near-post save from Ricky Drury on the left, before narrowly missing the corner with an audacious strike from the half-way line.
However, it was the Tigers who took the lead on 18 minutes when Zuerner rose to superbly head Danny Brooks’ whipped corner in off the underside of the bar.
The goal seemed to stop the hosts in their tracks, with Holbeach then setting into the contest nicely.
Zuerner even had a chance to double his money when he found a pocket of space at the back post, but he failed to get the ball under control and the moment passed.
As the first period drew to a close, the dangerous Matt Sparrow got in on the right and put a dangerous ball across the six yard box, but Joe Braithwaite cleared brilliantly.
That moment summed up Holbeach’s first period, with their defending superb throughout.
The second half was even tighter, but Yaxley looked the more likely to find a leveller. Cotton had their best chance on 65 minutes, but screwed his effort wide after a Sparrow cross from the right.
But it was Holbeach who came on strong in the final 15 minutes. First, Spencer Tinkler saw a fierce drive tipped over by Sutton.
Then, Smith pounced to clinch the victory when he latched the rebound from a Lewis Leckie effort and confidently steered a powerful side-footed effort home nine minutes from time.
Holbeach host Harborough Town this Saturday (3pm), but must do so without boss Hayes. He begins a five-game stadium ban given for an incident during the Boxing Day loss at Wisbech Town.
Number two Daz Edey will take charge in his absence.
Tigers: Drury, Griffiths, A Jackson, Braithwaite, N Jackson, Brooks, Zuerner (Bird 61), Tinkler, Smith, Avis, Leckie (Sanders 83). Not used: Warfield, Harker, Cartwright.
