Rapley pained by Port’s failure to take chances
Holyport rattle the woodwork but can't find the net in derby defeat
Holyport FC certainly had their chances to pick up a positive result against Burnham last Friday night, with the side hitting the woodwork an abundance of times and having their efforts cleared off the goallline in a ‘heartbreaking’ second half at Summerleaze, says captain Daniel Rapley.
Manny Williams’ men had taken a two-goal advantage into the break thanks to Firas Chniba’s sensational free kick inside the opening 10 minutes and a controversial penalty kick converted by the Blues’ manager in the 31st.
Port piled on the pressure after the interval but the side only managed to rattle the crossbar and posts with the ball instead of crashing it into the back of the net. Dan Wilson cracked off most of the chances with the Blues defence even denying his efforts on the line.
In the dugout, Derek Sweetman and his coaching staff would have doubtlessly lamented those opportunities when Chris Allen scored with a tidy finish in the 72nd minute to ultimately secure the victory for Burnham.
“It was one of those games where we could have been
there all night and we still wouldn’t have scored,” said Rapley.
“We hit the woodwork twice, had efforts cleared off
the line twice, and to be fair their goalkeeper made some crucial saves. They had one opportunity in the second half and they scored from it.
It was heartbreaking for everyone involved.
“We had a lot of changes from the Southall game which was a bit of a disadvantage straight away. We had a strong team against them and I’m so gutted we didn’t get anything from that game.
“Loads of changes, and new faces came in for the Burnham match. It’s like a rollercoaster at our club the way we have people coming in and out all the time.”
Asked whether his side’s defeats are getting wearisome, the Port skipper added: “Well, the problem is, performances are there – if you look at the 2-2 draw with Windsor and the narrow defeat to Southall who are second in the league.
“We’ve got the people, the attitude, and the commitment to win games – I just think something needs to drop our way.
“Holyport are just getting unlucky. There have been a few wrong decisions by referees but we can’t use that as an excuse. Hopefully times will change.”
Holyport travel to Tadley Calleva on Saturday, the home side currently 16th in the Combined Counties Premier Division North.