Toolstation NCEL Division One
Glasshoughton Welfare joint manager Darren Holmes. Picture: Jon Knight
Proud Glasshoughton Welfare joint manager Darren Holmes praised his players for their brave efforts following the play-offs semi-finals defeat at Grimsby Borough.
Holmes also claimed that the 3-0 score-line did not reflect the contest and his side’s performance.
“We’re obviously all disappointed, but what we have said to the lads is that no-one can take away what we have achieved this season,” Holmes told Non League Yorkshire.
“It has been a fantastic season for us, no matter what happened tonight.
“Myself and Lee (Vigars) are proud of every single one of the lads. It has been a squad effort and they’re a great set of lads and it has been fantastic for us to get to this point.
“With regards to tonight’s game we are a little disappointed with the goals we have given away. We gave away two sloppy goals when we should have defended better and we missed three or four guilt chances. Their goalkeeper also made two worldie saves.
“It could have been totally different. People will look at the result and think ‘3-0, Grimsby have won easily’. It wasn’t like that at all. We gave it a real go.
“If we could have nicked a goal at 2-0, it would have been totally different and we probably have gone onto win the game.”
Holmes and his joint manager Lee Vigars chose to revert to a different formation for the showpiece fixture. Instead of the 4-4-2 system that has served them well this season, the pair plumped for a disciplined 4-5-1 line-up.
Holmes was satisfied with how it worked, but admitted the two early goals gave Welfare a mountain to climb.
“The plan was to try and frustrate them in the first half and go in all square at 0-0,” he said.
“Then in the second half we would have pushed on and played with the shape that has gone really well for us in the last 30 odd games.
“You would say it hasn’t worked, but really it did because we frustrated them and limited them to two or three chances. If we hadn’t have given away those two sloppy goals it would have worked a treat.
“The game-plan was right, but when you concede two sloppy goals you’re up against it.”