Reaction pleases Hayes as Holbeach United hit back from derby loss in fine style

HOLBEACH UTD 3
DAVENTRY TOWN 0

Boss Seb Hayes admitted that “he got the response he wanted” as Holbeach United bounced back to beat Daventry Town 3-0 on Saturday.

Having lambasted his charges following a 1-0 derby defeat at Boston Town the previous Tuesday, goals from Joe Smith (6 and 44) and Lewis Leckie (85) gave the Tigers an impressive victory at Carter’s Park.

The win moved Holbeach into the top three of the ChromaSport UCL Premier Division ahead of Tuesday night’s fixtures, with Hayes adamant that his scathing pre-match criticism was a necessary evil.

And the Tigers chief put the victory down to his side getting off to a flying start against a Daventry side that boasted a host of top attacking talent.

Hayes said: “I got the response I wanted – that was what the harsh words after the Boston Town defeat were about. Sometimes as a manager you have to pick time to speak out and criticise your side in public.

“People many not have agreed with me and others may have been offended, but that’s none of my concern.

“In truth, there was no difference between the performance on Saturday and the Boston defeat.

“We actually didn’t defend as well as we did that night.

“But we started this game well and got a goal inside six minutes, which was key.

“We often struggle when we go behind – I think we’ve only come back to win once when we’ve conceded first this season – and that’s why I’ve been playing down our hopes of challenging for the title.

“The result on Saturday was really good. Playing against one of our top seven rivals, it was important to get a result.

“Daventry are a very good side and they are dangerous going forward with plenty of pace. They were caught offside a lot, though, and we scored at key times in the game. They lost their discipline a little and we held firm.

“It was one of those games we were prepared to win 4-3 if we had to, which made for some good attacking football.

“Overall, it was a good day for us to emerge unscathed.

“We got another clean sheet at home and took maximum points on a day when Deeping Rangers and Leicester Nirvana both dropped points.

“We’re in the top three, which is great, but it further highlights how disappointing the defeat at Boston Town is.”

Smith’s early opener was key for Holbeach, with the same player doubling his money from a Lewie Harker free-kick just before the break.

Dan Dougill then teed up Leckie to fire home his 19th of a prolific campaign five minutes from time.

Defender Joe Braithwaite wasn’t involved in the game after deciding to leave the club in the wake of the Boston defeat. He was involved in a public on-field spat with Hayes and number two Daz Edey towards the end of the derby defeat.

Hayes added: “We’ll miss Joe, he’s a very good defender and he’s done really well this season. But, as management, you can’t have players that aren’t prepared to listen to opinions from the sideline. We wish him well with whatever he decides to do next.”

The Tigers visit Harrowby United on Tuesday night (7.45pm) for a KO Cup quarter-final clash.

Tigers: Drury, Warfield, Harker, Jackson, Tinkler, Dougill (East), Leckie, Bird, Smith (Avis), Griffiths (Fenton), Zuerner. Not used: Richardson.