The Opposing View – Erith & Belvedere vs Holmesdale, SCEFL Premier, 1 March 2023 
with Mark Hayes, Holmesdale Club Secretary.

Nik: Could you give us a summary of Holmesdale's season and how that compares to your pre-season expectations?

Mark: I don’t think we are quite where we were expecting to be (currently 16th), but its such a tight league this year with only 6 points separating 9th to 17th, which makes the end of the season an exciting challenge. We have some tough games coming up v Erith & Belvedere, Deal Town, Whitstable, and Tunbridge Wells, all of whom have a target of promotion this season. At the moment we aren’t playing badly, just not getting 'the rub of the green' so to speak.

The top of the table is a hard one to judge, with the top 6 all going for promotion, not really including Erith & Belvedere as its theirs to lose now and I’m sure you won’t mess up. But it makes it an exciting end to the season at the top and the bottom of the league.

Nik: What do you know about Erith & Belvedere?

Mark: Well, you have a few ex-Holmesdale people in the dugout, AC, Mike Parker, and Duffy (also previously Becks) so they all know our management team, so I expect there will be some good banter on the touchline Wednesday, also you have some ex-players, in Nathan Palmer and Rory Ward. As mentioned above, I think the league title is already E&B’s, with the squad you have, the points already on the board and the goal difference I can only see one league winner at this stage of the season.

Nik: Thoughts and a prediction on the game?

Mark: The home game was a tight affair, Erith & Belvedere winning 1-0, it could be a tight game again on the night, hopefully we will come away with something from the game, so I’m predicting a draw, but maybe an away win…..

Nik: Hopes for the rest of Holmesdale's season and for the future?

Mark: Considering where we currently are in the league, we have 13 games to pick up some points, with a lot of games against the top 6, we will have a say in who goes up and our own destiny in trying to finish as high as we can in the table. Playing all the top sides at this stage means we can gauge how things may also go next season.