HOLWELL SPORTS FC v HINCKLEY AFC: THE MOWDOG'S MATCH PREVIEW...

 Holwell Sports v Hinckley AFC: The Mowdog’s Preview…

NEAT IMAGE...

TIGHT BEHIND THE GOAL...

PLENTY OF SHELTER...

WOW...

My first visit to Holwell Sports was in 2010 and I was rather taken by one of the shelters there which reminded me of a retired railway carriage. I wrote a poem about it at the time:

Holwell Sports Carriage…

It was like an open-sided railway carriage,

Angled, derailed,

Vandalised

And bereft of an interior.

Desecrated.

No seats, no tables,

No windows, no communication cables.

Listing, attesting

To better days

Of British Railways…

It was indeed a viewing shelter,

A joy, a monument,

A spectators’ platform, yet never inferior…

Pete Ray

Dunkirk won 0-2 that day but the Boatmen of Dunkirk were riding high at that time…

My second visit was five years later when Sports squandered a 2-0 lead and lost 2-4 to Borrowash Victoria. Stevenson netted a penalty for Holwell and I have captured the result of his spot-kick with the screenshot below:

So it’s back to Welby Road on Saturday for the visit of league leaders Hinckley AFC and there should be a decent attendance present for what should be a fine encounter.

GREAT SKY...

THROUGH A NET...

LONG VIEW...

Hinckley have won 22 of their 30 league matches, drawing 4 games and also losing 4 times. Their goal-difference is a staggering +64 and they have amassed 70 points. Two goals at Holwell will make it a remarkable 100 scored for the season…

The reverse fixture was won 4-0 by Hinckley at their temporary St John's Park home, a game which saw Jeremie Agholor score in the opening minute, then Tom Weale add goal two in the 7th minute. An 81st minute own goal by Sports and an added time strike by Lewis Padmore completed the scoring. 

Holwell currently lie 18th of the 23 teams in the United Counties League Division 1, although they are 9 points clear of Ingles in 20th place. Ingles do have a game in hand but Sports will surely feel fairly confident about their position, being 11 points clear of the bottom three. They have won 9, drawn 3 and lost 18 of their matches so far. Their goal-difference is -22 and they have claimed 30 points so far…

Holwell’s form over the last 5 games:

A 0-4 loss at Welby Road against Hucknall Town was followed by a creditable 1-1 draw at Harrowby United, where a 7th minute Kyle Reek goal had given Sports a 0-1 lead. Next came a 4-1 away defeat at West Bridgford, for whom Kai Moore scored all four goals. Jordan Smith’s consolation goal for Holwell came in the 88th minute.

KYLE REEK: GRABBED A GOAL AT HARROWBY BUT WAS DISMISSED AT BLACKSTONES...

Harry Allcock netted a brace in a 2-3 home defeat by Belper United and last time out, on the road at struggling Blackstones, Sports were unfortunately defeated 1-0, although sadly Reek received two yellow cards for the visitors…

JORDAN SMITH: NETTED AT WEST BRIDGFORD...

Leading overall goalscorer is Allcock with 16, followed by George Bosworth with 11, who is no longer playing for the club…

ALLCOCK: 16 GOALS OVERALL THIS TERM...

Thanks to Holwell manager Neil Miller for providing the above images of his players for my preview...

Hinckley’s last five outings:

A 2-7 win on the road at Kirby Muxloe came first, where Isa Abraham and Lewis Rankin both scored a brace, added to by strikes from Ryan Harkin, Jack Edwards and substitute Charlie Evans. Muxloe’s Josh Gunn was fired, er, dismissed during the match…

RANKIN: SCORING REGULARLY...

A 2-0 home win against Birstall United followed, both goals being nabbed by Evans, before Graham St Prims were thumped 4-0 at Kirkby Road, the scorers being Harkin 2, Evans and Rankin.

EDWARDS: SCORED AT KIRBY MUXLOE...

A narrow 1-2 victory at Aylestone Park was next, where Tom Weale scored the first goal and Evans won the game in the 89th minute. A 2-0 midweek win v Barrow Town came courtesy of goals by Evans and Rankin. 

EVANS STABS IN A GOAL AT HARROWBY...

Leading scorers overall are Evans with 17 and Weale with 13…

Full coverage of the match, including video highlights with commentary, screenshots, images & a full independent, honest, lighthearted match report will be at themowdog.blogspot.com from Sunday morning. 

Hopefully there will be a decent crowd present to watch a really good game…

The Mowdog…