Spurs denied a double vs Cofis
BUT DRAW AGAINST LEADERS BOOSTS HOLYHEAD CONFIDENCE AHEAD OF CLASH WITH WELLMEN
HOLYHEAD Hotspur can carry great confidence into this Saturday’s home tussle with Holywell Town having come within two minutes of celebrating a double over Huws Gray Alliance League leaders Caernarfon Town last weekend.
Campbell Harrison’s side, 2-1 winners at The Oval back in August, were 1-0 up against the Cofis last Saturday thanks to a Mel McGinness wonder strike before Town skipper Nathan Craig equalised from an 88th-minute corner.
Despite the disappointment of having to settle for a 1-1 outcome, Hotspur can take heart from having picked up four points out of six versus the Canaries.
Holyhead will next seek revenge over a Holywell side which walloped the Holy Islanders 4-0 at Halkyn Road on December 2.
In last Saturday’s clash at the New Stadium, a strong wind swirled around the ground, especially in the early parts of the match and the hosts tried to make the most of the conditions by playing a direct style that utilised their flying striker McGinness.
Alex Ramsay had to be sharp off his line on more than one occasion early on, especially to get his hands to a fourth-minute Dean Garmey header that had seemed destined for the net.
Caernarfon settled and their first real period of possession nearly resulted in an Alex Jones own goal after the centre half swung his foot at a Craig free kick, but was relieved to see the ball clear the woodwork with goalkeeper Paul Pritchard a bystander.
Pritchard then came into his own as he made the first of numerous saves to thwart a 20-yarder from Danny Brookwell in the 17th minute.
Brookwell threatened again on the half-hour, but this time saw his effort flash wide of the upright, whilst Gareth Evans was inches away with a powerful half-volley at the far post.
Hotspur improved after the break as they depended less on their direct approach and despite being forced to sit back for long periods, the hosts looked dangerous up front, with McGinness, John Littlemore and Dewi Thomas impressive when given the opportunity to attack.
However, Caernarfon were stretching Holyhead’s defence and Clive Williams suffered a near miss five minutes after the restart before Brookwell fashioned an excellent opportunity for himself as he waltzed past two defenders and around Pritchard but, slightly offbalance, failed to find the target from 12 yards.
The Hotspur stopper then pulled off three excellent saves inside three minutes to keep his side on level terms, first getting his outstretched left hand to a Brookwell screamer, then pushing Evans’ 15-yard effort against the post before getting down smartly to a Craig free kick.
The dangerous McGinness finally got the opportunity he had been waiting for in the 64th minute when he received a pass from Tomos Clarke before finding the top left-hand corner with a superlative finish from 20 yards.
Craig thought he had equalised in the 75th minute when his free kick went straight through a crowded penalty area and into the net, but his effort was cancelled due to a perceived offside infringement.
The Town captain finally succeeded in gaining his side a point when, two minutes from time, his corner kick curled into the top far corner of Pritchard’s net.