retired_destiny1124

Another one Glad to have you along too


***

28.1.06
Holyhead Hotspur (2) Harrogate (1)
Paul Nicholls return from injury started poorly- as Danny Holland deflected a cross from Jamie Heard past him in the 2nd minute- but he came back to save us in the second half and earned MOM honours as he earned us all three points for the win. We fought back and Ben Woods equalized for us as their Keeper- Michael Price- got caught by Woods dallying with the ball out of the area. Woods took the ball away and slotted home a 30 yard shot to get us even. We took the lead ten minutes later when Aaron Nowacki, making his return from injury, deflected a cross from Christopher Gilligan past Price. We scored on both of the only 2 shots we had in the match. Harrogate dominated the second half, but we managed to scramble a bit on defense- though our backline played poorly- and Nicholls came up with several timely saves to give us an undeserved 2-1 win.

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31.1.06
Kettering (0) Holyhead Hotspur (1)
Survival was the name of the game for us in our trip Rockingham Road. We played an indifferent first half, but our hard work on coverage paid off as they only managed a couple shots on goal despite maintaining much more possession than us. We improved our passing and slowed our tempo in the second half, but were having difficulty setting up shots ourselves. Our break finally came midway through the half when Jason Osborne made a move past Liam Nicell into the area. Nicell was forced to take down Osborne and received a yellow card as the Referee awarded the penalty. Carl Murkin converted his 5th penalty kick of the season for his 5th goal in what was the only goal of the match. When James Pike, who had come on for Paul Jenkin, was forced to leave with injury, we were left with 10 men for the last portion of the match. MOM Rob Walker came up with timely tackles and helped Paul Nicholls. Nicholls came up with a saving stop on Andrew Windross in injury time to keep the clean sheet and earn us three points.

***

4.2.06
We signed a pair of 18 year old forwards to their first professional contracts as I tried to continue dressing out our Reserve side. Nathan Geary and Richard McCabe were both liked very well by our scouts and at least have the potential for helping us in the future.

retired_destiny1124

4.2.06
Holyhead Hotspur (3) Worcester (1)
We made a quick start pay off in a win this time as we had all of our goals in the first 20 minutes of play. Danny Morgan celebrated his 1st goal for us as we were off on a flyer when he put the rebound of Ben Woods' shot back past keeper Danny McDonnell. We moved up 2-0 shortly after that as Jamie Ougham's short cross was perfect for Woods to deflect inside the near right upright. After Samuel Okikiolu knocked down Aaron Nowacki in the area, MOM Carl Murkin converted the penalty kick to put us ahead 3-0. Worcester showed a little life as Adam Webster danced past Ian Burns' attempted tackle and ruined Paul Nicholls clean sheet with his 5th goal of the season. That was all the scoring for either side as we clamped down defensively in the second half to help Nicholls preserve the win.

retired_destiny1124

11.2.06
Droylsden (0) Holyhead Hotspur (2)
It was a hard working effort on the part of the boys as we earned another road win at Butcher Arms Grounds. We took the lead in the 4th minute when Jamie Ougham's simple cross was volleyed past Paul Phillips by Ben Woods. We controlled much of the flow of play, but they weren't yielding any good scoring chances for us and we settled for the 1-0 halftime lead. Early in the second half, Dean Morgan slipped a pass across the area and Andy McGregor put it away past Phillips to stake us to a 2-0 lead. With Paul Nicholls help in goal, we kept that lead until the final whistle. Stewart Woods earned MOM honours for his play from rightback for us.

retired_destiny1124

18.2.06
Holyhead Hotspur (4) Workington (0)
The catalyst for our impressive home win over Workington was Neil Teggart, who appropriately earned MOM honours in the match. Teggart had a part in all four goals and came very close to notching a hat-trick in the match. The first goal came early and was purely due to the hard work of Teggart. He bulled past two defenders and then smashed a shot that was slightly deflected by Ryan Lewis- enough to throw off Adam Collin as it slipped inside the right post. Teggart had his brace by the 10 minute mark as Rob Walker sent a through ball to him up the pitch and he finished well from the right side of the goal. Collin made a brilliant save on Teggart to deny him on a similar chance later in the half, but Tom Byrne finished off the play by scoring on the rebound to give us a 3-0 halftime margin. We added one last goal in the second half when David Lynn tripped Teggart in the area and Craig Mitchell converted the penalty kick for his 1st goal- as Carl Murkin wasn't playing to take the penalty. We helped Stuart Cain earn a fairly easy clean sheet in the match.

retired_destiny1124

25.2.06
Northwich (0) Holyhead Hotspur (1)
We badly outclassed home side Northwich, but it was only Danny Morgan that allowed us to actually earn the win from the match. Northwich managed only 2 shots the entire match, but played solidly in front of steady keeping by Ben Connett. Morgan upset their plans with a beautiful chip over Connett in first half injury time. That was enough as we maintained control the entire second half in closing out the clean sheet for Paul Nicholls. Christopher Gilligan earned MOM honours.

***

2.3.06
Another promising left footed forward drew my scouts' attention, and in turn- mine. We signed 23 year old Steve McDonald quickly as I continue to add any impressive left footed forwards we find. We have an overload of forwards on the Senior side, but it is something I can sort out in the summer.

retired_destiny1124

4.3.06
Holyhead Hotspur (2) Worksop (0)
It took a lot of work to earn this win, but our determined efforts paid off as Ben Woods proved again what a dangerous forward he is. We had trouble getting untracked against them as they were also offering a good defensive effort. We made a poor throw-in by Worksop's Adam Oldham work in our favor as a quick cross that Craig Mitchell was able to head down for Woods was perfectly placed for him to whip a shot inside the right post for his 15th goal of the season. Worksop moved more aggressively offensively as they sought to equalize. Our backline played a solid match and Paul Nicholls earned his clean sheet with a diving stop on dangerous Lee Morris. The second half was entertaining with plenty of attacks, but both backlines were standing up to the challenge. We finally clinched the match when Karl Vernon lofted a cross into the middle and Woods headed it past Adam Sollitt for his brace to cap our 2-0 win and earn himself MOM honours.

retired_destiny1124

8.3.06
I had been working to add good youngsters to the club, but signing Gary Fitzgerald is an exception to that approach. Fitzgerald is a 29 year old center defender with the leadership skills I had been looking for. I wanted another center defender and was hoping to get a player like him. Fitzgerald had been released by Watford and was happy to finally get a new club. I am not sure how our 5-man rotation will work out, but we now have the depth to accomodate the dreaded injuries.

***

11.3.06
Moor Green (2) Holyhead Hotspur (3)
I feel like we triumphed over the Referee in this match as we fought back from trailing 1-0 to gain a 3-1 first half lead before having to hold on for dear life as the Ref tossed flags. Paul Kitson shook loose from our coverage to snap a shot past Paul Nicholls to gain the home side the lead. We answered when MOM Neil Teggart flicked a shot past James Coates after a good pass from Danny Morgan. Morgan then gave us the lead when he ran down a terrible backpass by John Snape and fired a rocket past Coates. We moved ahead 3-1 when Teggart's header turned into an own-goal by Guy Sanders. Moor Green got hope when the Referee made a dubious penalty call on Rob Walker and Ben Petty converted the penalty kick past Nicholls. We seemed blizzarded by yellow cards in the second half, but kept playing steady defense. It all looked for naught when the Ref handed them a second dubious penalty late in the second half, but Nicholls came up with a huge save on Petty and we managed to hang on for the 3-2 win.

Conference North- 32 played 10 remaining
<pre class="ip-ubbcode-code-pre">1- Holyhead Hotspur 70 pts (+48)2- Stafford 64 pts (+22)3- Alfreton 59 pts (+16)4- Hinckley 58 pts (+20)5- Leigh RMI 55 pts (+8)6- Vauxhall Motors 54 pts (+12)7- Northwich 49 pts (-1)</pre>

retired_destiny1124

18.3.06
Holyhead Hotspur (3) Barrow (0)
This match was much closer than the score shows. We won out thanks to another fine performance from Ben Woods, who earned MOM honours, and steady play from our backline. The match featured the debuts of Steve McDonald and Gary Fitzgerald who both did fine. Woods individual effort earned us the 1-0 halftime lead as he skinned Jonathan Smith and then took the ball past David Hook before loosing it inside the right post. As both clubs battled for the key 2nd goal, Jamie Ougham flipped a looping pass up the pitch. Andy McGregor picked it up and raced ahead of the backline as he scored his 5th goal of the season. Woods added further injury as he took a goal kick from Andy Love and motored up the pitch to make it a brace. We then helped Love close out his clean sheet. Stafford lost at home 4-1 to Hinckley as we moved 9 points clear of them in 1st place.

retired_destiny1124

25.3.06
Hinckley (0) Holyhead Hotspur (4)
One of our finest matches of the season, without a doubt. It was a tough first half as both sides were tackling well and starting quick counter-attacks. We had the best chances, but twice Ben Woods was stopped when away free by Adrien DiGregorio. Late in the half we had another chance and a Christopher Gilligan pass towards Woods was deflected by Carl Heeley toward the far post. Andy McGregor's quickness and determination paid off as he reached the ball and pushed it inside the post to give us a 1-0 halftime lead. The second half was all ours as our offense really moved into high gear. MOM Stewart Morris sent a pretty cross that Woods was able to flick past DiGregorio. Christopher Gilligan coasted in on the far side of the play and Soloman Henry's pass across the area to him left him an easy put away for his 1st goal. DiGregorio handed us our last goal when he came out of his area to play the ball and then missed it. Jamie Horsley took advantage by launching the loose ball in for his 1st goal to cap the impressive 4-0 win. Stafford remained 9 points adrift with a 1-0 win over struggling Gainsborough, while Hinckley's loss was a serious setback in their attempt to overtake Stafford.

***

31.3.06
It's always nice to see your name in the paper- especially when announcing a new contract..

Raven Treader Signs New 4-Year Deal at Holyhead Hotspur