Holbeach open league winning account with six goals against Oadby
It was always a question of when, not if, Holbeach United would collect their first league win of the season.
With GNG Oadby Town arriving at Carter's Park having suffered a 10-1 destruction the previous weekend at the hands of Deeping Rangers, albeit in the Buildbase FA Vase, the Tigers would never have a better opportunity to show some of the form that kept them in the top six for most of the abandoned 2019-20 season.
After an uneventful opening to the game, the home side sprung into goal-scoring life when a Josh Ford free kick was headed home by an unmarked Jon Fairweather.
The Tigers continued to threaten from set-pieces until just after the midway point of the first half when Nuno Gomez broke down the left and laid a ball infield to Oadby striker Suleiman Nassor who side-footed wide of Ricky Drury's left-hand post.
Nassor had the chance to redeem himself from the penalty spot when referee Istvan Mod spotted a foul in the Holbeach box during a corner kick.
But Drury had other ideas when it came to conceding a spot kick, diving down low to his left to keep Nasser's low shot out of the goal, with the rebound scrambled clear by the Holbeach defence.
Just after the half-hour mark, the Tigers took a firm grip on the game when Will Barnes volleyed in a Luke Wilson cross from 12 yards out.
Soon it was 3-0 as Ford volleyed home from distance after a crossfield sat up nicely for him and the home side were out of sight with their fourth goal, three in the space of six minutes, when Spencer Tinkler smashed home a Ford corner from inside the Oadby box.
Drury had to be alert again just before half-time to keep out Nassor who turned and shot through a crowd of players in the Holbeach box, only for Cameron Powell to see his snapshot turned behind by the Tigers' shot-stopper.
Straight from the corner, Tom Smith was on hand, and on the line, to clear a goal-bound shot as the seconds ticked on towards half-time.
In the second half, Barnes nearly headed in a fifth from Ford's cute lob on the edge of the box, helped on by Jonny Lockie, before Wilson was set up by Barnes for a goal, only for the Holbeach right back to side-foot wide.
Ford did make it 5-0 with a trademark free kick that went right through Oadby keeper Chay Carter and Holbeach were out of sight.
But there was still time for Barnes to see red after what the referee saw as a denial of a goal-scoring opportunity, something Lockie took advantage of deep into added time when he hooked home a Dan Dougill corner from close range.
HOLBEACH UNITED
4-2-3-1: Drury; Wilson, Fairweather, Tinkler, Smith; Jackson, Dougill; Lockie, Barnes, Elston (sub Withers, 20 mins); Ford (sub Clark, 65 mins). Subs not used: Braithwaite, Clarke, Lovelace.
GNG OADBY TOWN
3-2-1-3-1: Carter; Dixon, Richmond, Modan; Virdee (sub Nyoni, 56 mins), Patel (sub Parkes, 73 mins); Powell (sub Aietan, 82 mins); Gomez, Zhia, Shankar, Nassor. Subs not used: Thandi, Patel.
REFEREE
Istvan Mod.
GOALS
Fairweather (10 mins, 1-0); Barnes (31 mins, 2-0); Ford (33 mins, 3-0); Tinkler (37 mins, 4-0); Ford (63 mins, 5-0); Lockie (90 mins, 6-0).
BOOKING
Jackson (foul)
SENDING OFF
Barnes (denying goal-scoring opportunity).
ATTENDANCE
68.
STAR MAN
Ricky Drury - the Tigers' goalkeeper made a number of crucial saves at vital moments in the game, none more so that his penalty stop to keep his side 1-0 in front and, three minutes later, the lead is doubled.
WHO'S NEXT?
Peterborough Northern Star (H) - Wednesday.