Hollands & Blair’s upward surge continued last weekend as two late goals clinched them a point away at Corinthian.

Back-to-back wins over VCD and Kennington in the Southern Counties East Premier Division was followed by a 2-2 draw at Gay Dawn Farm last Saturday as Scott Porter’s men grow into a new brand of football.

They take a brief break from league action with a home game against Worthing United in the FA Vase Second Qualifying Round this Saturday.

Seven points from three games is a fine way to bounce back from hitting rock bottom in the table after a 5-0 loss against Medway rivals Lordswood.

Porter said: “Pre-season went so well and then we tried to take that into the competitive games, where there is probably a little more on it, people are more nervous, they don’t want to get on the ball, this, that and the other.

“The Lordswood game was a massive low in terms of being a football manager, you take that away and work on it and we have done that, reacted and it’s paying off, we have to keep doing it. The squad is looking good, we have a lot of experience and a lot of young lads who are sharp, with a good attitude, it’s a good bunch.

“Confidence comes with winning matches, when you are losing matches you don’t want to get on the ball, you don’t want to make mistakes, we have seen that in the Lordswood game, a big eye-opener, but we have reacted to that.

“We are keeping the ball better, playing in the right areas, everyone is growing with confidence, especially after this week, to go and get on the ball and we want to go and get on it, for people to express themselves.

“You still have to do all the hard stuff and that’s what we keep saying to the boys, Hollands & Blair has always been a tough place to go, a tough team to play against, all my teams have as well and we have to get back to that.

“We went through a stage where we had maybe changed too much too quickly, but you live and learn, take the positive and negatives and work with it.

“There is a lot of hard work still to do, but the last week has been pleasing.”

Blair went a goal down against Corinthian in the first half, hitting the woodwork themselves through Dean Grant. A number of injury issues meant Porter had to work hard on the sidelines and they conceded again on 72 minutes.

A goalkeeping error cost Blair the first goal and a failure to track a runner, leaving Conor Driscoll free to score Corinthian’s second, frustrated Porter but he was delighted with the way they battled back.

Substitute Kene Ukatu levelled it up on 81 minutes and Jack Simon made it 2-2 in stoppage-time.

Porter said: “Goalkeeper Aaron (Lee-Wharton) held his hands up at half-time about the goal, we hit the crossbar, had another chance through Alfie Giles, going in 1-0 down was disappointing, second half there wasn’t a lot wrong with the performance apart from the two goals we gave away.

“You can’t afford to give people free headers at this level and they were two avoidable goals.”

Captain Louis Valencia was out injured, Tom Walmsley at a wedding and Ben Brown injured himself in the warm-up. Youngster Charlie Wright was making his full debut but went off injured, as did returning right-back Billy Horley. Dale Davis also limped off.

Porter said: “We had to change formation, we changed it twice, we went 3-5-2, then 3-4-3, brought Harvey (Welford) on and young Kene (Ukatu), who had come on before half-time.

“Kene, Dean Grant and Harvey were a handful in the last 15 minutes. Kene got his goal, he was a massive difference, Harvey has come back from a slight groin injury and he looked sharp as well.

“Marlon Peter-Brown (on for Davis) came on to the right side of a back three, anywhere you put him he works his socks off and the three substitutions worked and changed the game for us, going forward and defensively, and we deserved a point.

“We’ve kept the unbeaten run going from after the Lordswood game, winning two after being bottom and then getting a point from a team who have come down and want to go back up, a massive week for us, really pleasing.

“Everyone is working for each other we’re creating chances, 10 goals in the three games, we just have to cut out the silly mistakes and crap goals conceded.”

Porter expects Valencia, Walmsley and Davis back this weekend. They are back in league action on Tuesday night for a league game at home to Deal Town.

Weekend opponents Worthing play in Division 1 of the Southern Combination League, a level below the SCEFL Prem.

Porter said: “They are up there in the league below (third in the table), we know a bit about them, but we do what we have got to do and if we play to our capability then I expect us to win the game, it is a big competition, a good competition, a big Saturday for us.”

“Hopefully we come through unscathed and we can look forward to the Deal game, which is always tough.”