Tribute to Dave Holland’s role
Martin Dowey rounds up all things Scarborough Athletic
Athletic boss Steve Kittrick paid tribute to late chairman Dave Holland after sealing second place in the EvoStik North.
Scarborough Athletic boss Steve Kittrick paid tribute to late former chairman Dave Holland after Saturday’s 2-0 home win against Ossett Albion, a result that sealed second place in the Evo-Stik North standings. Holland, who passed away almost a year-and-a-half ago, made it his mission to get the club back to Scarborough and his dream has been realised this season.
Kittrick said: “This is all for David.
“David enticed me here and at the time it was a difficult decision for me because I was dropping down from my last job, which was in the Conference.
“Dropping down four leagues was a brave thing for me to do, but I believed in what he said.
“We’ve got what he wanted though, getting the club back home in Scarborough and achieving promotion.
“Now we have to push on again in his memory.
“I’ll never forget the man and I want to thank him for persuading me to come here.
“He sold me the dream and we are now living it.”
Kittrick will now turn his attentions to recruitment as he builds for next season, though there is still the matter of the North Riding FA Senior Cup final against Middlesbrough under-23s at the Riverside.
He added: “It is about recruiting for next season now.
“We still have a big cup final to look forward to at a great stadium against a very big club and I’m sure everyone can’t wait for that.”
In front of a packed Flamingo Land Stadium crowd of 2,022, Boro scored a goal in each half to complete a workmanlike win.
With Boro already promoted and Ossett not playing for much, the first half was played at a pedestrian pace.
Boro controlled much of it, though there were few highlights.
Ossett’s international man Adam Priestley was unlucky with an early effort from distance that grazed the top of the Boro bar.
Boro were stung by a blow after this when skipper Dave Merris pulled up with a groin injury that led to him being replaced by Josh Snowden.
This didn’t upset Boro too much though, as they took the lead on the half-hour.
James Cadman lifted the ball into the path of James Walshaw, who proceeded to dink it over a defender and then volley it into the bottom corner of the net.
The action didn’t pick up after this, with a few halfchances following either side of the interval.
Former Boro man Tom Corner was denied by the best of these when he looped a header goalwards, but
Tommy Taylor saved well.
The hosts thought they had doubled their advantage with 20 minutes left when Sam Hewitt angled a header into the bottom corner, but his celebrations were ended by the linesman’s flag.
Boro’s cause was boosted further though when Ossett wideman Scott Metcalfe was awarded a second yellow card for smashing the ball into the packed home dug-out.
It was Ossett who upped the tempo in the moments that followed though, with Corner again testing the quality of Taylor’s gloves with a powerful header.
Boro survived these testing moments setting out on a quest to make sure of the victory.
Sub Jimmy Beadle almost snatched Boro’s second after being sent on for a cameo, but he rolled just wide after Michael Coulson’s centre had picked him out.
Beadle then got it right seconds later though, looping a delightful finish into the top corner following some fine wing play from Max Wright.
This wrapped up an emotional double for Beadle, who scored the first goal at the new ground and also the final goal of the season on home turf.
That goal proved to be the final meaningful act of Boro’s league season, putting yet more gloss on a superb campaign.