Hollands & Blair are preparing for their biggest game of the season. Scott Porter’s men host Croydon in the Kent Senior Trophy quarter-final this Saturday. “It’s massive,” declared the Blair manager. “It’s our biggest game of the season. “Since I have been at the club we have been successful in cup competitions, getting to two finals in one and a half seasons and we want to do the same again.” The draw has been kind to Blair, their reward for beating K Sports in the last around is a home game against another SCEFL Division 1 side in Croydon.
Porter’s Premier Division side needed a penalty shootout to see off their last opponents and won’t be taking the Londoners lightly. “They are no mugs,” said Porter. “As we found out against K Sports anyone can beat anyone, including from the league below, it will be a tough test and we will have to be at our best to win the game. “We were taken to penalties by K Sports and if it wasn’t for Dan Ellis (the Blair goalkeeper) we might have gone out so that will definitely be mentioned in the teamtalk. “They have some good players who have played higher, but we are at home, we enjoy playing at home.
We have to concentrate on what we do and get back to what we did before the Glebe game (last Saturday).” Blair lost 3-0 away at Glebe, a result that sent the victors top of the SCEFL Premier Division table.
Porter said: “That game wasn’t all doom and gloom, they are top for a reason, with the players they’ve got, the budget they’ve got.