Holbeach United 0 Eastwood 3
Phil Barnes rued Holbeach United’s lack of cutting edge as they slipped to a 3-0 home defeat against Eastwood on Saturday.
The acting manager, who resigned from his role last week but agreed to stay on until his replacement was sorted, watched on as goals from Liam Hearn (22 & 58) and Romello Nangle (59) settled the Carter’s Park contest.
A seventh loss from nine league games leaves the Tigers winless and in the bottom two of the Uhlsport UCL Premier Division North, but Barnes insists there were positives to be taken.
However, he did admit that adding a cutting edge to the side will be the first issue for the new manager to address.
“It was a strange feeling being in charge after just resigning,” admitted Barnes. “But Dean and I will do whatever the club needs us to.
“To be honest, I thought we dominated early on and played some good stuff. It was a bit like our entire season so far in a nutshell, really.
“We just lacked that cutting edge you need at this level and they scored against the run of play following a bit of a defensive mistake.
“You could see a few heads drop after that, but to their credit it wasn’t for long and the lads kept going until the end.
“Two quick goals in the second half killed us off, but I certainly didn’t think that Eastwood were much better than us.
“What can I say? I just don’t think there are any easy games in this league anymore.
“In recent years there have been the likes of Sleaford and Pinchbeck who have been at the bottom and losing most weeks, but they’ve vastly improved and also the league shake-up has seen some much stronger sides move over into the UCL.
“Our players always give their all, it’s just important that whoever comes in as manager can get a few experienced players in that can offer a better end product.”
Tigers: Waters, Carter, Barnes, N Jackson, Ling, Wright, Rose, Burdass, Eyett, Williams, Keeble. Subs used: Cook, Richardson, Wirkowski. Not used: Compton.
Attendance: 110.
