Andy Graves delighted with performance as Hucknall Town ease past Holwell Sports

Hucknall town manager Andy Graves was delighted with his side's first half display as they breezed past Holwell Sports 4-0.

All four goals came within the first 27 minutes as Craig Westcarr and Joe Ashurst added to their respective tallies for the campaign, while Matt Brian scored his first since rejoining the Yellows.

Following this result, Town sit just five points behind league leaders Hinckley and are only outside the play-off positions on goal difference.

“I was very pleased with our overall performance today,” Graves said. “We were very, very good in that first-half and I thought we definitely deserved to win by the margin that we have done.

“They [Holwell] came into the game off the back of a really good win last week, and they understandably had a lot of confidence, but we nullified them really early on.

“I have to mention the back four as well because they were solid today and worked really hard towards the end of the game to keep hold of what was a much-needed clean sheet.”

Hucknall started the match on the front foot and had the ball in the back of Holwell’s net just ten minutes in when Oliver Brown’s cross was flicked past goalkeeper Ben Challis by Westcarr, but the striker was flagged offside.

Five minutes later, Westcarr beat Challis again with a powerful finish from inside the box following Jordan Phillips’ flick-on, and this time the goal stood.

The former Nottingham Forest forward found the net once more in the 18th minute to double Town’s lead, taking full advantage of a mistake by a Holwell defender before curling home.

Westcarr then turned provider by rolling the ball into the path of Brian, who stroked past Challis with aplomb to make it three. Before the half hour mark, Ashurst got in on the act by latching onto a cross from Westcarr and firing into the bottom corner from inside the hosts’ box.

The Yellows controlled the game impressively until half-time, restricting Holwell to a very limited number of opportunities. Town also displayed an eagerness to score more goals, which continued after the break as the hosts threw more bodies forward.

In the 57th minute, right-back Courtney Bartley tried his luck with a volley from outside the box, but it flew wide of the target. Then, not long after the hour mark, Brian found room inside the area but blazed his shot over the crossbar.

Holwell provided a threat of their own at times in the second half and forced Jake Pearson into two decent stops, the first from Aaron Black and the second from a wide free-kick. On the whole though, Hucknall defended resolutely and thoroughly deserved their first clean sheet in eight matches.

Hucknall: Pearson, Bartley, Brown, Sims, Phillips, Leak, Lamb (Maxwell 64’), Banister (c) (Ryan 68’), Brian (Francis 76’), Westcarr, Ashurst. Subs not used: Kinnerley