Boston Town 1
Holbeach Utd 0
Fuming boss Seb Hayes launched a scathing attack on his Holbeach United side after seeing them lose 1-0 at rivals Boston Town on Tuesday night.
Will Britton’s classy finish on 74 minutes was enough to give hosts Boston an unlikely three points at the DWB Stadium, with the Tigers guilty of spurning a host of chances.
Holbeach would have moved within two points of the top of the table with a victory, but Hayes insists that his side showed exactly why they aren’t ChromaSport UCL Premier Division title contenders.
The boss questioned the attitude of his players and claimed they aren’t hungry enough to mount a title charge, insisting that he may need to move some of the squad on as a result.
Hayes said: “I felt like we dominated, we created so many chances – maybe six or seven gilt-edged ones – and if we’d taken two of them we’d have won. Fair play to them, they had one chance and scored it.
“You could just see what was going to happen. When you’re not taking your chances, this sort of thing can happen.
“After they scored, we lost our discipline and the players didn’t want to listen to the advice from the sideline. It was easy for them to moan at the management – but they had 90 minutes to win that game.
“I never felt like Boston were in the game. If we’d have got that first goal, they’d have gone – and we’d have won.
“Again, fair play to them. They stuck at it and that was their cup final. They have nothing to play for, they’re out of every competition and can’t do anything in the league but they love beating Holbeach.
“Sadly, it meant more to them than it did to us – and that is why we are not contenders to win the league title.
“We’ve got a chance to be involved with games in hand, but we’ve got a decision to make as a management team now. Do we stick with this group of players, or do we start moving people out and get new ones in that want to win?
“I’ve told the lads that I want it more than them – because, if that wasn’t the case, they wouldn’t have got beaten here.
“We’ve simply got to win games like this. The workrate was there, but the application and desire wasn’t. We went down with a whimper. In the last six or seven minutes, how many times did we get the ball into the box? Not many.
“The lads will be training on Thursday and they’ll be getting it hard. I’ll find out there who wants to win a trophy this season as, if any of them squirm out of it, I’ll know they’re not with us.
“People might think this is an overreaction. It’s not, we want to win – and when you manage this club, you can’t accept defeats like this. We had the chance to go two points off the top and, even though we’re not title contenders, you can’t pass those chances up.
“I just didn’t see enough belief from my team. The ability is there and tactically we know what we’re doing. We have good players, but they’re not hungry players.
“The team that wins the league this season, whoever it may be, will have the hungriest team because it’s so open.
“It won’t be us, not on this performance and not with this squad unless we go out and try to shake it up a bit.”
In what was a first half of few chances, Holbeach hitman Will Bird twice tested home keeper Harry Payne in the latter stages. His first attempt was a looping header from a Mitch Griffiths corner, but Payne acrobatically tipped the effort over.
Bird had an even better chance of 42 minutes, getting the better of right back Jamie Elston before driving a low strike towards goal from close range. Payne somehow saved with his legs, with a goal looking certain.
Early in the second period the Tigers fashioned another chance for Bird following a cheeky backheel from George Zuerner. The striker lashed wide of the near post when well placed, though.
At the other end, defender Simon Ashton sent a header just wide for the hosts from a corner to give Holbeach a timely reminder that they were still very much in the game.
However, it was the visitors who continued to look dangerous. Only a top last-ditch tackle from Elston denied a clean through Bird, as the right back redeemed himself for a mistake in the first half.
Payne was then forced into another save when Griffiths fed Zuerner, who saw his low effort blocked by the Boston keeper at the near post.
The away dominance counted for little 16 minutes from time, though, as Britton fired the Poachers ahead. A whipped cross from ex-Tiger Aaron Eyett on the right was swept home by the prolific strike, giving Drury no chance.
The Tigers never really looked like levelling late on, although a fizzed cross from Bird did fly right across the face of goal in the dying seconds, with Leckie inches away from diverting the ball home.
Hayes’ side must now regroup ahead of Saturday’s Carter’s Park clash with Daventry Town (3pm).
Tigers: Drury, Harker, N Jackson, Braithwaite, Tinkler, Smith (Fenton 80), Dougill, Zuerner (Avis 76), Griffiths, Bird, Leckie. Not used: Davies, Edey, Warfield.
