St Neots Town F.C.
Supporting the saints online

St Neots continued their impressive run of form with their fourth consecutive league victory since the turn of the year taking their goals tally to fifteen in those victories. With Daventry Town again inactive Steve Lomas’ charges returned to the top of the table but take a week off again next Saturday to feature in the quarter finals of the Huntingdonshire Senior Cup. This victory came despite a sluggish start to the match when visitors Holbeach took the match to their hosts and should have been ahead before St Neots opened the scoring. Another bumper crowd well in excess of 300 witnessed this latest victory which racked up St Neots’ seventh league double of the season. Once again the performance highlighted the amazing work rate of the St Neots midfield and the effective finishing of the strikers with all four of the attacking players on the score sheet. A recurrent injury to Adam Jones saw St Neots starlet Jordan Gent on as a substitute after his International debut for the England Colleges XI against Australia.

St Neots began the match with the same line up that had thrashed Sleaford 4-0 in their last match but the lay off of fourteen days saw St Neots begin very slowly against a Holbeach side that were positive from the first whistle. An early rising shot by Craig Parker made Luke McShane move smartly to his left to push the ball away and then Liam Nimmo shot wide after St Neots seemed to be caught square at the back. St Neots replied with Liam Harrold heading wide, Tony Scully shooting into the side netting and Dan Jacobs bringing a save with a clever chip after good work by Lewis Webb. After 19 minutes Holbeach should have gone ahead after a woefully short back pass by Adam Jones had left his keeper stranded but rather than shoot himself Nimmo chose to set up Alex Beck and he screwed his shot wide of an empty net from just eight yards. This let off seemed to galvanise St Neots and Jacobs had a shot cleared off the line by Lewis Brooks with his keeper beaten. Then after 24 minutes Rob Hughes won the ball in midfield and slotted a beautifully weighted pass forward for Tony Scully to run on and score with a low shot. Visiting keeper James Doughty then began to deny the St Neots forwards to keep his side in the match with important saves from Jacobs and Rob Hughes but after 28 minutes he was helpless as the dynamic Webb set up Dan French for a neat volley to double the lead. Webb almost joined the scorers list but another Doughty save denied him and two minutes before half time the contest was effectively won when ‘goal a game’ Dan Jacobs kept up his record pouncing on a mistake by Jon Fairweather to score St Neots third goal. Just before the break Jones limped off to be replaced by Jordan Gent.

St Neots began the second half where they had finished the first with Jacobs bringing another fine save from Doughty and a Hughes free kick found the head of the unmarked Liam Harrold but his glanced effort was wide. Holbeach were far from finished despite their arrears and Beck almost pulled a goal back but was denied by a Gent goal line clearance. At the other end Jacobs glided past his marker but shot into the side netting and then Harrold netted but was ruled offside. He then had a narrow angled headed tipped onto the cross bar by Doughty but he was not to be denied and in the next attack after 71 minutes he rose majestically at the far post to head home a Hughes corner and take his goals tally for the season to sixteen. St Neots had sent on Shane Wyllie their latest signing for Dan French but their second substitution was even more significant because with his first touch of the ball James Peagram replacing Liam Harrold sent Dan Jacobs clear of the defence to run on to claim his second goal of the match and complete St Neots biggest home league victory since October 2004.

• Team: McShane, Haniver, Hyem (M), Webb, Fuff, Jones, Scully, Hughes, Harrold, Jacobs, French
• Subs: Gent (for Jones 44 mins), Wyllie (for French 68 mins), Peagram (for Harrold 75 mins), Hyem (C) & Knight
• Man of Match: Lewis Webb

Match date: Sat 20th February 2010