Cold spell continues.

Like the weather, Dale's form continues to be very cool, with another defeat in the league, this time away to Corinthians.
The concession of a first half penalty was equalised by Jamie Baker early in the second half (51). And, despite providing more of a competetive threat throughout the second half, we finally captiulated to another two goals - final score 3-1 to Corinthians.
Another chance to gain a victory over Corinthians will come later in the season...4th time lucky.

No games for either team this weekend - a rare chance to get the house/garden/shed/specialist magazine collections tidied up.
Hopefully the break will allow us to go back to the drawing board and re-group so we can get back to basics in order to do what we do best and help spur us onto a strong finish to the season (although I dare say the magazines will help most).

Strotten brace not nearly enough

After a determined opening by Erith & Belvedere, Holmesdale came close to opening the scoring when a Ryan Watts header came back off the bar on 10 minutes.
A short while later the Erith goalkeeper was made to pay for dallying and allowing the agile and lithe Steve Strotten to put his body in the way of the keeper's attempted clearance. With a kindly rebound and his quickness Steve was able to slip the ball into the unguarded net to make it 1-0 after 16 minutes - the incident has alternatively been described as; Steve rumbled forward, blocking all natural light from the Erith side of the pitch. With the goalkeeper in semi-darkness and with all paths up-field seemingly blocked, and obviously concerned with the amount of kinetic energy built up by the advancing Holmesdale striker, he vainly attempted to blast the ball up-field. Steve's carefully prepared body was then able to cushion the ball with Messi-like control, and he stuck it away.
Despite conceding an equalizer on 31 minutes, Dale were back in the lead before half-time when Steve got his second; a quick counter attack and a cross by Jamie Baker was met by Steve's head and, even though the keeper saved the original effort, the rebound fell back to Steve who fired in from close range (44)
The second half didn't go so well for Dale, and therefore not much has been written about it.
Plenty of chances were made, but none were taken, and 4 (not just 3!) further goals from Erith meant another defeat, 2-5.

Next up is a League trip to Corinthians, Saturday 28th - 3:00pm kick-off.

Despite Dale lead, Deal deal Dale another loss

Dale played Deal for a place in the quarter final of the Kent Senior Trophy at Oakley road, Saturday.
Returning striker Steve Strotten put Dale 1-up on 24 minutes, but they were pegged back before half time.
Two further goals by Deal were replied with a 74th minute strike by Mark Lewis, and despite their best efforts, the game ended 3-2 to Deal, and Dale went out.

Next game is at home to Erith & Belvedere this Saturday (21st) at 3:00pm

With trio missing, Dale try for a trio of points, but allow trio, and let opposition do double.

Dale went into the game at Cray Valley missing 3 influential players; midfield general Matt Hammond (out - injured), top scorer Steve Strotten (up in Manchester for a quiet outing comparing physiques with the locals) and regular captain Rickie Hardie (over in Thailand for a Paul Gadd reunion).
The missing trio made an immediate impression on the opposition defense as they seemed worried about making things even. So they set about scoring an own goal in the first minute...very sporting.
Overwhelmed by being in the rare position of being one-up so quickly, we hastily went about consolidating the lead by allowing an equalizer on 24 minutes.
However, minutes before half-time, the replacement for the absent Steve Strotten, the equally imposing Terry Dance scored (41) to restore the lead and make it 2-1.
The second half became a frustrating affair, with refereeing decisions being influential (apparently I could've seen the ball was out of play and I'm 150 miles away!), with Cray equalizing on 75 minutes and then getting a disputed penalty on 84 minutes, to win the game 3-2.
Mildly disappointing result, but given the players we had out we did Ok (according to the Chairman)

Next first team game is at Home to Deal Town at 3:00pm this Saturday (14th).
With the recent Premiership trend of bringing back old/retired players and as the fixture is in the Kent Senior trophy, perhaps it's time Steersy got another chance...can somebody help him find his glasses and tuck his bag in first please.

New Year, but old problems make it difficult

A new year and a bumper crowd of 108 hardy souls showed up to watch Holmesdale take on Tunbridge Wells at Oakley Road.
Tunbridge were looking to move up to 3rd with a victory, while Dale were hoping to continue to drag themselves away from the bottom group and into a position that was more representative of their recent performances.
However, as is becoming very representative of their recent performances, Dale leapt into a 2 goal deficit inside the first 20 minutes!
The extra challenge obviously awakens the team, as after 24 minutes we struck back through Rob Wells, and they continued to play competitive football from that point.
The display was eventually rewarded on 63 minutes when Jamie Baker equalised, and an entertaining game could've gone either way after that, with the woodwork coming into play at both ends.
The 2-2 result probably as good as could've been expected given the way we started, and the strength of opposition.

We next visit Cray Valley this Saturday (7th) - 2:00pm kick-off.
They currently sit one place and one point behind us in the league....hopefully we can avoid going one-behind after one minute in this one.

On the second day of Christmas...5 gold rings

A sparse crowd at Oakley road saw Dale appear as the visitors to their ground share partners Greenwich Borough.
And, as is becoming traditional, Holmesdale promptly went 1 behind after 4 minutes!
However, this time the reply came quickly with Chris Hatt (12), and continued with Captain Rickie Hardie (38) putting dale 2-1 up at the break. Steve Strotten's scoring consistency was maintained with a brace (47, 69) in the second half. The final goal scored by Jamie Baker (85) completed a 5 gold ring performance...3 days early.

Herne Bay bear few gifts

Dale could not dent the title aspirations of Herne Bay, despite a gutsy performance at a chuffin' cold Oakley road.
Outplayed for long periods, they still proved difficult to break down, but did rely on good saves from Dan Teeley and carefully placed woodwork to keep the scores level during the first half.
A single goal from Herne Bay on 37 minute meant that Dale were still not out of the game going into the second half. However, the visitors still provided the main threat and went further ahead on 51 minutes.
With nothing left to lose, a more cavalier approach from Dale nearly paid off a few minutes later, with only a last ditch clearance keeping the score the same. Eventually, a speculative shot spilled by the Bay keeper gifted Steve Strotten a simple chance in the 71st minute, and gave Dale every chance of getting something from the game. Those chances were enhanced in the 82nd minute when, just 2 minutes after coming on, the Herne Bay substitute had to leave the game following his second yellow and, with a bit more luck/goal line technology, another score could've come.
Unfortunately chucking everything at Herne Bay left gaps and led to 2 breakaway goals in the last couple of minutes to provide a mildly flattering score line of 4-1 to Herne Bay...although they probably deserved the points on balance.

As an alternative to the Bank-Holiday sales/tv/turkey curry, Dale are next tested by bottom of the table Greenwich Borough, on Tuesday 27th - 1:00pm kickoff.
The game is technically away...but is at Oakley Road, so we should have a bumper crowd of 60-70,000...sorry, 60-70. If we can avoid going behind, another resilient display will hopefully provide a win. Remember to wear those new Christmas gift sweaters to keep the chill off if you're going.

Reserves miss chance to go top

The reserves took on a youthful looking Ramsgate side in their Second division league clash, Saturday. Two sides, with good scoring records over the last months, could only muster 1 goal between them, and that came in the 55th minute for Ramsgate.
A mildly disappointing result with the reserves going so well in the league and the possiblity of top position with a win.In fact, Holmesdale only stayed above Ramsgate in the table due to their far superior alphabetical choice of name.

Perhaps the young players on both sides were too interested in the old, portly, silver haired fellow on the side-line. Unfortunately it didn't turn out to be Santa, just Steersy, who despite starting his warm-up at 2:37 didn't get onto the pitch, or even very far off the bench.

Next Fixture at Oakley Road is this Saturday @ 3:00pm with Holmesdale 1st Team hosting Herne Bay in the league. Wrap up warm and come and see if Santa does turn up this time.

Deficit not Budgeted for.

Holmesdale found themselves in a bigger hole than the Eurozone countries when they conceded 2 goals the first two minutes (!!) and four goals after 16 minutes (!!!!) in their Premier League clash with Erith Town.
Their attempt to close the deficit began well, with a Jamie Baker strike on 26 minutes, and a Steve Strotten penalty two minutes later. Meaning that at the half the budget gap was down to 2.
Erith's defensive austerity plan worked until the 82nd minute when Tunde Aderonmu scored, and despite investing in an attacking fiscal policy, no further deposits could be placed in the Erith net. In the end, the debt that had been built up in the first quarter couldn't be overcome, leaving the final balance 4-3 to Erith.

For a different slant on the match at Erith last weekend, visit Tales From The Pigeon Stands

Dale may have to look to implement their own defensive austerity plan given the tough outlook and the visit of top-of-the-table Herne Bay (Saturday 17th @ 3:00pm) or any recovery strategy may not succeed.

For those looking to take thier minds off all the economic woes and watch a game this Saturday, remember the reserves will host Ramsgate in a League match at Oakley Road - 3:00pm kick-off.

Not so impressive performance.

3 was not the magic number for Holmesdale on Saturday.
As well as not being able to notch up a 3rd consecutive win, they conceded 3 goals in a poor home performance at Oakley Road.
The closest Dale came to scoring was a shot that came back off the crossbar....about 3 inches too high.

Holmesdale FC Needs You

Are you interested in football??

Holmesdale FC is looking for volunteers for Saturday match days and possible midweek games.

Please contact the Club Secretary for further details secretary@holmesdalefc.co.uk