Current league leaders Hodgsons faced North Cave in what was a ‘must win’ match for the tanners to realistically put them within touching distance of the Humber Premier League One title.
The home side knew they would be in for a tough time, as it was North Cave that had dumped them out of the Grays cup by a scoreline of 5-2 only a few weeks back.
Manager Lee Hastings made a change in formation which saw Adam Foster as the lone striker and a strong 5 man midfield backed him up in the hope of snuffing out Cave’s passing game which caused so much trouble in that heavy cup defeat.
A strong wind was blowing from one end of the pitch to the other, and it was Hodgsons that started with that advantage.
The tanners moved forward early on in the match applying pressure to the Cave back line. This pressure paid off as Hodgsons won a corner after just 4 minutes. The corner was delivered superbly and Adam Foster scored from close range with a header.
Much of the first half saw Hodgsons create more chances, but found either the shots were being blocked or the strong wind proved difficult to keep the shot on target.
Danny Cartwright proved this theory as a right foot volley he struck flew over the bar, wind assisted.
North Caves Craig Gorman tried running the channels but found full back Jolly Thorne in good form. Thorne was putting in some crucial challenges at the right time. In the centre club skipper Paul Silvester was working like a cart-horse, throwing in meaty tackles, likewise Dennis Edgar didn’t allow any of the Cave players a moment on the ball with his continuous harassing.
This led to a very cagey opening 45 minutes and a single goal was all that was scored.
The second half saw Cave apply the early pressure, and still with a strong wind behind them, Cave’s Gorman hit a speculative long range effort that was heading straight for the top corner of the goal. Keeper Mike Morris pulled off an amazing save to deny Gorman and keep his side 1 nil to the good.
Hodgsons Steve Grantham continued making fantastic headway down the right hand side and sprayed the ball in fantastic style on numerous occasions. Shaun Gibson provided the aerial threat in the middle which continued to nullify any real Cave attack on goal.
The best chance the away side did have fell to full back Wayne McSeveney. Just inside the box Mcseveney hit a looping shot that bounced off the top of the cross bar and out for a goal kick.
Cave knew they had to push on and this exposed their defence in the remaining 25 minutes of the game. Hodgsons forward Foster made them pay for this by scoring a 2nd goal on 67 mins. He nipped the ball away from the keeper as he hesitated to deal with a ball over the top, and tucked the ball away into an empty net.
There was no way back for the away side now, as Caves Craig Cockin tried desperately to get them back into the match, but Chris Robinson was having none of that as the strong Hodgsons full back dealt with him with ease.
The centre half partnership of Karl Wallis and Ben Daniels were excellent throughout and saw the final moments of the match out with a no non-sense workman like display.
When the referee blew the whistle the players and staff alike knew what this victory meant, the jubilation said it all.
The victory puts Hodgsons 13 points clear of North Cave. Hodgsons only have 1 game remaining which is an away trip to Long Riston on the 19th April. North cave on the other hand have 5 games to play.
Assistant Manager Andy Blenkinsop said after the match, “The pressure is all on North Cave to win those matches to put us in the position of having to beat Long Riston in our last match to win the title. Its a position we are more than happy with.”
