WIMBORNE TOWN | HOLMES IS WHERE THE HEART IS

Goal-getter glad to be back at Premier South club

When the opportunity to return to former club, Wimborne Town, came up in December, Toby Holmes grabbed it with both hands.

The experienced goal-getter is back on a mission to ensure that the Dorset club can maintain the Pitching In Southern League Premier South status that they worked so hard to achieve following promotion at the end of last term.

Holmes saw his second spell at Poole Town, for whom he made a total of 129 appearances, come to a rather unexpected end and on Tuesday evening he came up against his former club, helping Wimborne secure a big three points courtesy of a 1-0 win in front of a crowd of over 2,000.

“To see so many people at Tuesday’s game was brilliant,” he told us. “You don’t get the opportunity to play in front of a crowd like that too often at this level.

“Fair play to both sets of fans who turned out in great numbers for a Tuesday evening game and created a fantastic atmosphere under the lights.

“On these occasions you just have to enjoy it and make sure you’re not on the losing side! I got some stick from the Poole fans; as a former player you expect that, it’s all part-and-parcel of the game. I gave a bit back at the end, though!

“The victory meant that we took four points from two really tough home games this week having followed up our draw with leaders, Merthyr Town. These results have given us a real lift as a group.

“Since my return in December we’ve been in almost every game we’ve played, there have only been a couple of games where we’ve come up short and you can tell that the momentum is building as we head into the ‘business end’ of the season.

“It’s so important because you only have to look at the table to see how tight it is. If we can string a few results together than is relieves the pressure slightly. We’re by no means out of the woods yet, but what these last two results do is give us a platform to build on.

“The performance against Merthyr Town was a real team effort with everyone giving 110%. The fact that we came off the pitch disappointed not to have won is testament to the way we played.

“We took the confidence from that into the Poole game but being a local derby and with so much on it, it was a rather cagey match. The pitch made it difficult to get the ball down and play and our opponents were hard to break down, but we stuck to our task to get our reward late on.

“It was a scrappy goal, but they all count and we deserved the win in the end. Now we have to ensure that we take this fighting spirit into the battles that lie ahead between now and the end of the season.

“This time of the season is always the most exciting part. Almost anything can still happen at both ends of the table and with things being so tight, it just adds pressure to every game.

“Experience tells me that we just have to concentrate on what we do and ensure we do our bit and then see what else happens around us.

“Anyone can beat anyone on the day, much the same as last season. As it stands we are the highest placed of the promoted teams from last season; the aim was always to consolidate at this level with a view to taking the next step the following season.

“We’re on course to do that but there is still a lot of football to be played and there will be many twists and turns along the way for all teams.”

During Holmes’ previous spell at the club between 2016 and 2019 he scored an impressive 132 goals in 143 games, including a haul of 60 during the 2017/18 campaign when the club won promotion from the Southern League Division One West.

It’s a record that has seen him receive cult status amongst the Magpies’ faithful, who will be hoping that he can help shoot the club to their highest-ever finish at this level.

“I am delighted to be back at the club,” he added. “To be honest, my return here all came as a complete surprise. I didn’t think that I would leave Poole the way I did halfway through the season but as soon as the opportunity came up to come back here, I grabbed it.

“This is the only club I wanted to come to. It’s all change since my previous time here with a new ground, new group of players and management, but the club has maintained its core values of being a family-friendly and welcoming community club.

“It’s a very positive and encouraging environment and it’s great to see the progress that has been made and the direction that the club is heading in. It’s a fantastic place to play your football and nights like Tuesday just reemphasise that.

“I feel that I still have a lot to offer at this level and I know that I can get back to my best to help this club get to where it wants to be.”

An away trip to Dorchester Town is on the agenda on Saturday.

IMAGE: @cabbycrabby / Michael Felstead

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