We don't belieive the title race is over, says Hollands & Blair boss Paul Piggott

LYDD TOWN manager Dave Smith says he wants his side to take their Cup form into the bread and butter of the League.



The Lydders booked their place in the Kent Invicta League Challenge Trophy for the very first time after their shock 3-0 win at Bearsted yesterday.

The Bears are in fourth-place in the table but Tony Cornwell’s side crashed to defeat after goals from Gary Lockyer (2) and Steve Harris put the Lydders through.

They will meet second-placed Hollands & Blair in the final on a date and venue to be confirmed.

Paul Piggott’s side came away from unbeaten leaders Phoenix Sports with a 2-1 victory.

Hollands & Blair were denied a first half lead when Phoenix keeper Adam Woodward made an excellent penalty save to deny Michael Jenner.

But Jenner drove home to break the stalemate with a goal with seven minutes remaining to give the away side a deserved lead.

However, the game ended in controversy as assistant referee Ian Crouch – who was involved in his first game since running the line in the Championship fixture between Ipswich Town and Leicester City back in April 2011 following a knee injury – awarded his second penalty of the game after he spotted Hollands & Blair defender Tom Staff ‘s handball.

Grant Brown kept his composure to score the resulting penalty with 83 seconds of normal time remaining.

But Hollands & Blair were awarded their second penalty inside injury time when referee Danny Geary penalised Dean Kearley for raising his elbow to block Jordan Gallacher’s driven shot and striker Ricky Freeman stepped up to score his 21^st goal off the season.

Hollands & Blair will be favourites when they meet a Lydd Town side that are currently in the bottom four, having won four and drawn two of their fifteen games.

Smith, however, is relishing the underdog tag again and admitted their 3-3 draw against Maidstone United’s second string in midweek on the 3G pitch at The Gallagher Stadium was instrumental in his side’s win.

”This was an outstanding team performance and I can not praise my players enough,” said Smith, who won the Kent County League title with Bromley Green last season.

”Our friendly against Maidstone in midweek in my opinion made all the difference as we hit the ground running and looked the sharper side from the first whistle and this set the tone for the whole game.

”We went in at half-time 1-0 up and in truth I was concerned as we had chances to be leading by three or four.

”Bearsted did put us under more pressure in the second half but we counter attacked superbly and scored two more again.  We probably should have scored more.

”This Cup has been good for us this season scoring ten and conceding none, but as I said to some disappointed Bearsted officials I would swap the final place for their fourth-place League position and that’s the truth.

”I congratulate Hollands & Blair on reaching the final and on their superb win over Phoenix and naturally we are looking forward to the final and we will go there determined to win from what will be the underdog role.

”But that is a way off and now our focus is going to be moving up the League as this is the most important thing and where you are judged at the end of the season.”

Hollands & Blair travel to basement side Meridian next Saturday, looking to claw back a nine point deficit on Phoenix Sports, who remain favourites to go on and clinch the league title, after missing out last season when they finished runners-up to promoted Bly Spartans (now Rochester United).

Speaking about the title race, Piggott said: “We don’t believe it’s over.  We’ve still got to play them. With just under half of our games to go, with this fixture backlog that’s going to come up towards the end of the season, it’s not going to be loads of games but there will be games coming up thick and fast.

”We’ve got a good squad, the reserve side has good players in it. If we need them we can call on them so I think our squad will push them all the way. 

”Phoenix have got themselves in a great position. We’d rather be nine points clear ahead of them than nine points behind, but we still believe definitely.”

Looking ahead to playing Meridian in Charlton next Saturday, Piggott knows his side must avoid slipping up on a potential banana skin.

”We can’t drop any more points, simple as that,” he said.

”It’s a ground we don’t normally do well on so we we’ve got to put a few records straight next week.

”We won’t throw the towel in. We’re nine points behind. A lot of people have been writing us off, but we’ll be on their toes.  We’ve got a lot of work to do. It’s hard. Nine points is a lot of points to make up but with what we’ve got, I wouldn’t be saying it if I didn’t think we had it in there and I know I’ve got it in that changing room.  I know I’ve got the players to push them all the way. What will be will be.”

Phoenix Sports’ joint-manager Tony Beckingham revealed yesterday that the Barnehurst-based club will have their floodlights up in time for the midweek rush at the end of the season.

When asked about the ground improvements at Star Meadow in Gillingham, Hollands & Blair boss Piggott said: “The changing rooms will be done. The new changing room facilities are superb. They’ll be ready for next season.

”We’ve had new dug-outs built, new big dug-outs. The pitch is coming along nicely, a lot of work being done on that. The lights issue is an ongoing thing.

”But we’ve got a team that’s ready to be in the Kent League in my opinion. We should be in that League, along Phoenix, Bearsted and Ashford.

”The four of us have got good enough teams and good enough facilities and I think we should be there.”

Bearsted manager Tony Cornwell revealed on Friday that only one team will be promoted to the Kent League at the end of the season.

Phoenix Sports’ joint-manager Steve O’Boyle was left stunned by his side’s lacklustre performance against Hollands & Blair and wants his players to bounce back at Orpington next Saturday.

The O’s are in tenth-place in the table, with six wins and two draws from their seventeen games.

O’Boyle wants his side to cross the finishing line in first place as quickly as possible and had this to say to his nearest challengers.

”They haven’t gained one point on us, have they? Yes, they’re in a final. Well done to Hollands & Blair. They deserved it on the day.

”On the title race, if you give me an option of losing to Hollands & Blair in a semi-final or losing to Hollands & Blair in the League, I’d tell you it’ll be the Cup game all day long!

Looking ahead to the Orpington game, O’Boyle added: “What am I expecting down there? A muddy pitch I would imagine!  It’s not the best of places to play there.

”I don’t really know too much about them. They’re just below midtable. I would imagine they’ll be competitive but really we should be looking to go there and win the game.

”We’ve got to bounce back. There’s no point licking our wounds and feeling sorry for ourselves. We’ve got to make sure we train in the week and get over this and we turn up next Saturday with a professional attitude and a performance.

”If we could just win the title as quickly as possible that would be brilliant.”