Port struggling to stay afloat in muddy waters
Sweetman hopes to revive survival hopes after challenging start
Boss Derek Sweetman admits Holyport find themselves in muddy waters this season, and what's more they’re currently out of their depth and struggling to stay afloat.
Promoted into the Combined Counties Premier Division North by virtue of their high finishes in the Hellenic League Division 1 East over the past couple of truncated seasons, they currently find themselves rock bottom of the newly formed league, and their brittle confidence is being tested by poor results and injuries.
On Saturday they were beaten 7-0 by North Greenford United, a game in which Christopher Martin-Thomas netted a hat-trick for the home side, and things aren't likely to get any easier this weekend when they host second placed Southall.
The issues Holyport are experiencing were anticipated, with the side having effectively moved up two divisions according to Sweetman.
Survival remains the club’s goal and, if they can achieve that, the Holyport boss reckons they'll have had a cracking season.
“It’s a massive learning curve for us,” he said. “We've gone up two levels in effect.
“We’re in muddy waters and we're trying to stay afloat.
“It’s a division that’s very difficult and there are some very good teams and players in this league. There are also some very good wage bills as well so we’re slightly out of our depth but it’s a learning curve for us.
“We’re doing what we can to change the style of play and bring some new boys in and we're learning all the time.”
They might be bottom of the table, but a win would see them move level on points with three or four of the teams above them. Sweetman was disappointed by Saturday's error-strewn display, particularly against a side they’d managed to beat 2-1 earlier in the season.
However, once North Greenford got into their stride, he admits the visitors
simply couldn't live with them.
“Saturday was a bitter disappointment for us,” he said. “Because we’d beaten them 2-1 earlier in the season.
“People had been saying how good they were, and they’ve brought in a couple of new, talented players and we just had no answer to them on Saturday.
“They were head and shoulders above us, and it didn’t help that we gave away some sloppy goals.
“It was a bit of a shock to everyone and a quiet changing room at the end of the day.
“We keep coming up against teams like North Greenford, Hanworth Villa, St Panteleimon who could probably be playing step 3 or 4 level football, they’re that good.
“We’ve gone up a couple of levels, we’re finding it very difficult, but
we’ve just got to dig in and work hard.
“If we can get another win soon that should give us the confidence to spring back and have another go. People are worried that we’re bottom but one win would put us up five places.
“It’s not the time to panic yet. Although the players are downbeat right now, their attitude is still good and they’re trying to put things right.”
Sweetman is desperately hoping Holyport can secure a win over one of their league rivals soon to kick-start their flagging campaign.
He said: “We’ve shown we’re capable of living at that level, but the key is being consistent. I think, if I’m totally honest, if we finish above the bottom four and stay in the division, then we’ll have had a cracking season, because it’s that tough.”