2026 Starts With A Win
Wittering edged a seven-goal thriller to claim a dramatic 4–3 victory over Holbrook, although it was far from a polished performance and one that required late heroics to secure the points.
Match Report
Holbrook got the game underway and started brightly, carving out two excellent one-on-one chances early on. On both occasions, Wittering goalkeeper Jack Benham came out on top, producing superb saves with his feet to keep the scores level.
Wittering were perhaps fortunate not to be awarded a clear penalty soon after, when Brad Vaughan was kicked from behind inside the area, but play was waved on.
The deadlock was broken in the 20th minute when Wittering took the lead. Ethan Turner delivered a pinpoint cross from wide, finding Tom Fleming unmarked in the box, and the forward made no mistake as he powered a header home.
The advantage was short-lived. Five minutes later, Holbrook equalised from a corner, a front-post flick-on falling kindly to an unmarked attacker five yards out who tapped into the net. Just two minutes after that, Holbrook struck again, turning the game on its head. A long ball over the top split the defence, leaving the striker one-on-one with Benham, and he calmly slotted home to make it 2–1.
Wittering responded well and were level again in the 31st minute. A defensive mix-up at the back saw Cam Corell pounce, nicking the ball away from the goalkeeper before rolling it into an empty net. The sides went in at half-time locked at 2–2.
The second half began with Wittering still looking sluggish, clearly not out of second gear, and they were made to pay in the 55th minute. Another ball over the top caught the defence out, allowing Holbrook’s winger to race through and restore the hosts’ lead at 3–2.
Wittering then enjoyed a strong spell, but the Holbrook keeper once again proved his worth, producing several key saves, including a stunning low stop down by his post that drew admiration from both sides.
Wittering finally found their spark in the 75th minute. James Hubbard stepped up to a free kick and rifled an unstoppable effort into the bottom right-hand corner to bring the scores level at 3–3.
Holbrook nearly regained the lead in the 83rd minute when a gilt-edged chance fell to an unmarked winger at the back post, but he could only chip tamely into Benham’s waiting hands. That miss proved costly. From the resulting save, Benham launched a long ball upfield which found Corell, who got the wrong side of his defender and was brought down in the box. Some might call it justice after the first-half penalty shout.
Hubbard showed nerves of steel once more, sending the goalkeeper the wrong way from the spot in the 85th minute to complete the comeback and put Wittering 4–3 ahead. The hosts then managed the game professionally in the final five minutes to see out the win.
It was a hard-fought victory and, by Wittering’s own admission, one they perhaps got away with. A below-par performance, but three points secured and plenty to improve on ahead of next week.
Goal Scorers:
Tom Fleming – Sponsored by The Boulevard Witterings
Cam Corell – Sponsored by Cavavin The Wine Shop
James Hubbard – Sponsored by Pecorino’s
Man of the Match:
Jack Benham – Sponsored by GS Plastering
