Holbeach United 2
Newport Pagnell Town 1
Darren Jarvis toasted his first win as Holbeach United manager on Saturday as the Tigers battled to a 2-1 UCL Premier DIvision triumph over Newport Pagnell Town.
First-half goals from Jack Smith (15) and Ben Brown (30) proved to be enough for Holbeach, although Daryl Smith’s strike (56) did set up a grandstand finish at Carter’s Park.
The victory is the first the Tigers have managed since Graham Drury’s last game in charge back on February 21, a run that spanned five games.
Jarvis feels that his side did more than enough to win the game – and wants to see more of the same from his side for the rest of the season.
He said: “First and foremost, it was all about getting the points.
“But I thought the attitude and work-rate shown by the lads was first class.
“If I’m honest, we were probably a bit unlucky not to get a few more goals. 3-1 or 4-1 would perhaps have been a fairer scoreline.
“The pitch was very difficult and bobbly, but I thought we played some decent stuff at times too.
“Every manager wants to get that first win under their belt.
“Now we can focus on getting a few more results and finishing the season in a very positive manner.
“The season isn’t dead by any means. Teams will drop points – and we just need to be keep getting results to make sure we’re in a position to benefit should the teams above us slip up.”
With new signings Charley Sanders (Huntingdon Town) and Daniel Worthington (Boston United) handed starts, Holbeach started pretty well and almost went ahead when Jamie Clarke saw an effort saved by Josh McAdoo.
Keeper McAdoo was back in action on 13 minutes as he kept out a strike from hulking frontman Sanders.
However, the Tigers went ahead from the resulting corner as Jack Smith nodded the ball in on the line following Brown’s header from Lee Beeson’s delivery.
Defender Brown then got in the act himself on the half hour, heading home a rebound after McAdoo had kicked out Sanders’ initial effort.
Pagnell, however, came back into things and Nick Conroy was forced to keep out a Dom Lawless drive, before Josh Crawley lashed a cracker onto the woodwork from 30 yards.
The pressure finally told on 56 minutes when Daryl Smith fired a fine finish past the helpless Conroy.
Sanders, who made a positive impact on debut, could have clinched the points for Holbeach late on.
But instead, they were forced to sweat in the final moments as Conroy kept out another effort from Crawley.
It was scrappy, but three points was all the mattered for Jarvis and his rejuvenated Tigers.
Next up for Holbeach is a home clash with Sleaford Town on Wednesday night (7.45pm).
Tigers: Conroy, Worthington, Warfield, Smith, Brown, Cartwright (Guyan), Beeson, King, Clarke, Sanders, Tidswell. Not used: Drury, Bull.
Attendance: 58
