Holbeach fall short in front of goal against Wisbech
Holbeach United picked up valuable lessons in judging where they are ahead of their first competitive game of the season during a pre-season friendly defeat to Step 4 side Wisbech Town.
Up to 80 fans were welcomed back inside Carter's Park for the first time in five months to see the Tigers take on the Fenmen for what was bound to be far from friendly action.
Manager Phil Clarke made four changes to the Holbeach side that started last Saturday's friendly against Step 5 opponents, Swaffham Town of the Eastern Counties Premier Division.
Jack Withers replaced Joe Braithwaite alongside Jon Fairweather in defence, Dan Dougill came in for Adam Jackson to play a holding midfield role alongside captain Spencer Tinkler, while Joe Smith and Reif Clarke took the starting places filled last week by Josh Ford and Jordan Elston respectively.
It was also a chance for a couple of ex-Holbeach players, academy product Jack Keeble and attacking midfielder Liam Adams to return to Carter's Park with their new club.
After an opening ten minutes of weighing each other up, it was the home side who had the first chance on goal when Jonny Lockie ran down the right before a laying a ball back to Tinkler who steered his shot wide from 20 yards out.
Action from Holbeach United v Wisbech Town in pre-season friendly action at Carter's Park. Photo by Chris Lowndes. (41047562)
Holbeach were unlucky to go behind on the quarter-hour mark when a Jack Gurney free kick for Wisbech from the left-hand side of their opponents' half was headed beyond Ricky Drury by Smith.
Before that point, the two sides had been fighting out a closely matched, not-much-between-the-two-sides game, with a few tasty tackles thrown in for good measure.
But after the goal, Wisbech's grip on the game grew tighter, both in terms of possession and chances.
Summer signings Andre Williams and Avelino Vieira linked up well to carve out a shooting chance, which Williams put well wide from the edge of the Holbeach box.
But the silky skills of manager Brett Whaley's Fenmen did pay off shortly after the half-hour mark when a Jack Gurney right wing cross was helped on by Danny Draper right into the path of Vieira who rolled his shot past Drury.
A rash of changes after half-time affected Holbeach's ability to break open the stubborn Wisbech back line which included, for the first half, ex-Peterborough Sports youngster Thabani Nkobi.
Williams worried the Holbeach goal when he struck an angled drive from 20 yards out after a Gurney free kick was half-cleared, while Gurney himself struck another free kick straight at Tigers' keeper Drury minutes later.
After the hour point, a superb passage of team football for Wisbech which involved Vieira, Adams and Layton Maddison nearly prized open the Holbeach defence before a clearance out of the area fell to Keeble who fired a cross-shot against the Tigers' post.
There was some promise for Holbeach as manager Barnes brought on Josh Baldwin at left back, in place of Tom Smith, Will Barnes, Elston, Finn Almond and King's Lynn academy product Owen Gilbert who filled the right back slot in place of Luke Wilson.
With ten minutes left, Elston set up substitute Josh Ford with a shooting opportunity, only for the Tigers' front man to direct it weakly straight at Wisbech keeper Luke Pearson.
Before that, Draper has forced Drury into an acrobatic save with a fierce shot from just inside the area, while before the full time whistle blew, Gilbert, Almond and Ford were all involved in a promising move for Holbeach which ended with Elston hooking his shot wide from 18 yards out.
HOLBEACH UNITED: Drury; Wilson, Fairweather, Withers, T. Smith; Tinkler, Dougill; Lockie, J. Smith, Clarke; Frew. Subs: Almond, Baldwin, Barnes, Braithwaite, Elston, Ford, Gilbert.
WISBECH TOWN: Pearson; Keeblem Grogan, Nkobi, Marshall; Murphy, Gurney; Williams, Adams, Draper; Vieira. Subs: Gadsden, Kimber, Kennelly, Maddison, Pearson, White.