Holbeach United 0
Newport Pagnell 3
Disappointed boss Danny Hussey admitted that his Holbeach United side were bettered in every department on Saturday as Newport Pagnell Town handed them a 3-0 home reverse.
First-half goals from Michael Lyons (10) and Dom Lawless (penalty 28) gave the Swans a 2-0 lead at the break, before Josh Winters rounded off the win 11 minutes from time.
The defeat is Holbeach’s first in the Future Lions UCL Premier Division since Hussey took charge in January and means they are now level on points with South Holland rivals Pinchbeck United in the race to finish fourth.
Tigers chief Hussey said: “I knew Pagnell would be a tough test after seeing them at Deeping the previous week.
“We tried to match them up and I asked my lads to win their personal battle with the player they were directly up against.
“Sadly, I couldn’t tell you one player that won their battle and Pagnell deserved their victory.
“The first half was really poor and I was quite angry at half-time.
“I thought we improved after that and could have scored when Jack Smith hit the post, but it wasn’t to be.
“I thought their penalty was soft and the referee admitted as much to me, which was disappointing.
“It’s a different game at 1-0 down, but I can’t use that as an excuse – we just weren’t good enough on the day.
“Credit to them. Dom Lawless really bullied our central defenders in the first half and we had no answer.
“It’s a bit of a wake-up call for us, but I’m not surprised by the score.”
Tigers: Drury, Ford, T Smith, Braithwaite, Clay, Jackson, Avis, Tinkler, Tricks, J Smith, B Smith. Subs: Bird, Davies, Harker, Hamilton, Kirk.
