by BAILEY EWERS-SMITH

INCONSISTENT but promising.

That sums up the season for First Division Knockout Cup runners-up Holland FC.

It was the dawn of a new era for the club as they joined a newly-formed league.

Called Thurlow Nunn League division one south, it meant many new and different sides would be visiting the club’s new W&S Scaffolding Community Stadium.

Manager Rob Batten and his side were therefore going to be swimming in uncharted waters going into the 2018-19 campaign.

Following an excellent pre-season, Holland continued their great form into the campaign, kickstarting proceedings with a great set of results.

One such match was an outstanding 5-0 home win against Newbury Forest.

On the flip side, despite their magnificent opening in the league, they suffered two early cup exits in a row after visits to Codicote and White Ensign.

Putting the cup losses behind them, Holland focused on keeping up their impressive performances in the league.

And after 11 games, things were looking encouraging as they found themselves in fourth place with 22 points out of a possible 33.

Now in mid-October, fans were optimistic for what the rest of the season held.

However, their next opposition were the type of team they had never encountered before - Hashtag United.

As the name might suggest, Hashtag are not a regular football side.

With a massive online following, the team originates from YouTube and post highlights and match interviews for thousands to see.

Not only famous worldwide, the visitors were looking for their tenth unbeaten game in a row, putting a lot of pressure on the boys in orange.

The home side struggled in the first half and left the field at half-time 2-0 down.

Although holding their own in the second half, Holland came out of the momentous day with a 2-0 defeat.

Even though they weren’t victorious, Holland were given the opportunity to showcase their ground and team to the world through this game.

The highlight video of the match currently stands at over 227,000 views, which is a great achievement for the north Essex side.

Going into the end of the year, Holland’s momentum had begun to slow down.

December saw the club claim only five points from a possible 12, sparking concern that it might be the beginning of a downward spiral.

Looking into the new year, Batten and his side aimed to recreate the type of performance they showed early on.

But instead of reproducing their winning ways, they gradually dropped down the table.

Matches against some of the league’s table-topping opponents, such as Halstead Town and Coggeshall United, were still to come.

The team’s chance of acquiring a top-half position was beginning to look slim.

But all hope was not lost as during this hard time in the league, Holland earned a place in the semi-final of the First Division Knockout Cup.

After battling through the closing months of the season, Batten’s side pushed themselves to their limits to try and pull out one last run of momentum.

Unfortunately, they couldn’t put together a string of victories.

And following many twists and turns, Holland finished their league campaign with a stunning 2-0 away win against second-place Coggeshall.

Meanwhile, their 2-0 victory against title-challenging first division north side Swaffham Town in the cup semi-final meant they were hoping to bring home a piece of silverware to Dulwich Road.

Ending their 2018/19 campaign, Holland faced Harleston Town at Woodbridge in the Knockout Cup final.

With numerous key players unavailable, the team suffered cup heartbreak, losing 6-0.

However, their outstanding opening performances, extraordinary cup run and the number of talented players coming through the club’s youth system has laid the groundwork for a promising future ahead.