By Rory McKee
A FEARLESS attitude and trust in each other are the key ingredients to Holywood FC’s red-hot form so far this season.
That’s according to joint manager Jonny McKay, whose side have taken a trio of cup scalps in recent weeks as part of a 17-game unbeaten run dating back to mid-January.
The Spafield club are still revelling in one of the biggest results in their 42-year history, last weekend’s Steel and Sons Cup win over Premier Intermediate League side Ballyclare Comrades, which saw Holywood come from behind to conquer one of the competition favourites and seal a quarter-final place for the second time in three years.
Having fallen behind to a Fiontan O’Boyle goal on the stroke of half-time, Holywood drew level three minutes before the hour mark through Josh Burns and a fantastic solo effort from Gareth Keenan 11 minutes later proved to be the match-winning moment, setting up a clash against Willowbank later this month.
It comes after the men in green knocked out the 2018 winners East Belfast in the previous round, with Holywood also looking forward to a date in the Irish Cup third round against Finaghy having seen off Amateur League kingpins Crumlin Star away from home.
After achieving promotion at the end of the 2023/24 season, Holywood recorded a top-half finish in NAFL Division 1A last term and, on this form, the only direction appears to be upwards.
Former Shorts boss McKay, who shares managerial duties with Glen Upton, joined the club from Dundela Reserves at the end of last season with the pair accompanied at Spafield by trusted colleagues Gary Kane and Cormac Payling.
McKay was keen to recognise to the ‘phenomenal’ work of Holywood’s previous management team led by Mark Crawford and Stuart Wells as he reflected on their start to the season.
“All we have done is continue the great work that those guys started,” he said.
“We knew there was a strong squad here already but it needed a bit of depth.
“You can’t take those kind of results for granted. But we go into every game with no fear.
“In pre-season we played against a number of good teams and managed to take some decent scalps,” he explained.
“We have just got a really good togetherness. The guys we have brought into the club are players that we trust and we all trust each other as coaches.
“We have tried to garner support from businesses on the High Street and there is definitely a community feel about the club.”
