Hollands & Blair concede three late goals in a SCEFL Premier Division defeat at Glebe after Clint Gooding’s first game in charge ends in a penalty shootout win over Holmesdale
05:00, 17 October 2024
Clint Gooding’s had little time to settle after taking over as manager of Hollands & Blair for a second time.
Gooding was appointed last week as the permanent replacement for Luke Jessup and enjoyed a dramatic first-game penalty shoot-out win over Holmesdale in the Kent Senior Trophy.
He was agonisingly close to a second successive win on
Tuesday - Blair losing 3-2 at home to Corinthian in the Southern Counties East League after conceding twice in injury-time.
His side are at home again this Saturday when they face Larkfield & New Hythe.
Gooding previously managed Blair at the back end of the 2017/18 season, taking charge and guiding the club to safety. He worked as assistant boss to current chairman Paul Piggott at Star Meadow and at Chatham.
He was handed the job last Wednesday night, taking over a team who were sitting 17th in the table, and their midweek defeat means it’s now three wins in 12.
Gooding, speaking before the Corinthian match, said: “It went from getting the job last Wednesday, meeting the boys Thursday to playing Saturday, so there wasn’t much time.
“We only really had introductions on the Thursday, we were a little bit working on the fly on Saturday but the reaction, application and commitment from the lads from what we spoke about was brilliant and it was what I was looking for.
“I couldn’t have asked for much more in the 90 minutes and then I could have done without a penalty shoot-out in my first game!”
Holmesdale are currently in the play-off places but Blair were spot on to win the shoot-out 4-3 to progress to round two of the Trophy.
Blair keeper Jack Reeves saved two of the kicks and Jack Peters scored the winner with a panenka.
Gooding said: “I am not a lover of penalties but I said before the shoot-out, regardless of what happened it was a really good base for us to build a foundation going forward and a bonus for us to go through because of where we are at the moment in the league. It is important to keep in the cup as a little diversion from the league, a nice break and shift in focus, can help.
“I was really happy with the result and made up, really impressed with the boys.”
SCEFL Premier Division table
Looking at the league situation before Tuesday Gooding said: “Anything is possible. We have to get through this initial period where it’s a bit frantic, there’s a bit of bedding in.
“I want to be picking up points and the focus on looking up rather than over our shoulders at the bottom.
“The football club has ambitions and I mirror those and we need to be working in the right direction.
“It’s going to be a process of looking at the lads and assessing them and trying to see where we can improve and get players in accordingly.”
Gooding has already added his son Finlay Gooding, who played for Blair under Scott Porter, while assistant boss Steve Whitton’s son, Finlay Whitton, has joined from Hythe to boost their full-back options.
A number of players had already left before Gooding had taken over with striker Dean Grant heading back to Whitstable, scoring the winner for them last Friday in the Kent Senior Trophy at Canterbury.
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