Our biggest objective is to get out of the Kent Invicta League, says Hollands & Blair boss Paul Piggott

HOLLANDS & BLAIR manager Paul Piggott says he’s plotting the club’s biggest ever result on Sunday - to beat Greenwich Borough in the Kent Senior Trophy Final.

The Gillingham-based outfit are nine points clear at the top of the Pain & Glory Sports Kent Invicta League table and need just one point to claim back-to-back titles to take their deserved place in the Southern Counties East Football League next season.

Greenwich Borough, who are managed by former Cray Wanderers boss Ian Jenkins, have failed to deliver the league title and sit in the top five in the league with 60 points from 32 games, 25 points adrift of unbeaten league leaders Phoenix Sports, whose ground in Barnehurst has received the necessary E Grading to stage Ryman League football next season.

Greenwich Borough have a reputation of being a Cup team this season.  They reached The FA Cup Fourth Qualifying Round for the first time, going out to Conference North side Worcester City at Kidderminster.  They also reached the Fourth Round of The FA Vase and can look forward to facing Tunbridge Wells in the Macron Southern Counties East Football League Challenge Cup Final.

Piggott, meanwhile, has guided Blair to another exciting season and are on the brink of completing a quadruple.

Piggott said: “We’re in a position where we can win the league. I won’t lie about it. We need one more point from three games and that’s because of the goal-difference so we’ve got ourselves in a great position and we’re more than happy where we are at the moment.

“The players’ have been with us. There was lots of offers and lots of opportunities for our players to join other clubs in the summer and earn some money but they stuck with us. They believed what we told them about this season regards to the ground improvements and they’ve stuck with it and now they’re reaping their rewards for that.”

Hollands & Blair needed penalties to knock Greenwich Borough out of last season’s Kent Senior Trophy competition – but the two clubs are miles apart of one another when the two sides lock horns at Bromley’s Hayes Lane on Sunday.

“We’re talking about a very good, well paid, experienced football side who have got a lot of decent players, who have played at a lot higher levels of football, so we’re expecting a very tough game and I’m sure it will be,” said Piggott.

“We beat them in the Second or Third Round up at Dartford there on penalties but it’s a new manager and a completely different set-up, new players to what they had last year.

“Jenko’s involved now and he’s been involved a long time in football and he knows a lot of players. I’m sure he’s got a good side together up there.”

But this is the time of the year when Hollands & Blair are picking up the winners medals.

They defeated Bearsted 2-0 in the Kent Invicta League Challenge Trophy Final at Meridian’s Charlton Park Road ground on Good Friday.



GLORY: Hollands & Blair celebrate beating Bearsted to land the Kent Invicta League Challenge Trophy on Good Friday
Photo: Alan Coomes

Piggott said: “It weren’t a classic. It weren’t the greatest but I was saying to someone the other day, our players’ have played in a lot of big games over the last couple of months, whether it be big league games, semi-finals, finals.

“Every game is a pressure game at this time of the year and it’s unfair to judge our team on some of the performances their putting in at this stage of the season, but the one thing they are doing, they’re winning games of football.”

Piggott paid tribute to star striker James McDonald who has scored an impressive 52 goals this season.

Piggott quipped: “He’s been lucky – he’s had quite a few come off his shin and a couple come off his shoulder!

“But no, everyone knows I don’t have to butter that lad’s name up. Everyone knows what he’s about. He’s an out-and-out goalscorer and he’s proven that this year.

“He’s been lucky. He’s playing in a good side that’s giving him the opportunities to score those goals. He can finish. There’s no doubt about that!”

If Blair go on and win the Kent Senior Trophy for the second time in their history, then it will come as one of the club’s greatest ever results.

“We’re confident every game of football we go into and that will be no different on Sunday,” said Piggott.

“We feel we can win most games of football. We’re definitely going into that game and give them a go.

“Well someone told me the other day it’s the Quadruple because we won the Charity Cup during the season. I was promptly put right the other day.

“It will be a massive achievement but all in focus aside our biggest objective was to be out of the league and I still stand by that. All of our players and the club deserve to be in the higher league and that will be our biggest achievement if and when that happens.”

Visit Hollands & Blair’s website: www.hollandsandblair.co.uk

Greenwich Borough  v  Hollands & Blair
Kent Senior Trophy Final Sponsored by Darenth Print & Design Ltd
Sunday 12^th April 2015
Kick Off 3:00pm
At Hayes Lane, Bromley, Kent BR2 9EF