Gloucester City manager Daf Williams expressed relief after his team secured a 3-2 victory over Havant & Waterlooville on Saturday, snapping a two-game league winless streak.
The Tigers kicked off strongly, with new signing Kane Simpson making an immediate impact by scoring on his home debut just 15 minutes in. Simpson’s deft half-turn shot found the bottom right corner, setting the tone for a lively afternoon.
Despite City’s early dominance, Havant & Waterlooville fought back and leveled the score in the 30th minute. Ryan Seager’s clever hold-up play allowed Ethan Giwa-McNiel to fire a low, powerful shot past the goalkeeper, bringing the Hawks back into contention.
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Gloucester reclaimed the lead right before halftime, sparked by Michael O’Regan’s high pressing. Winning the ball back and continuing his run, O’Regan laid off a precise pass to Elis Watts, who confidently slotted home to make it 2-1.
Just as the first half seemed to close, King Baidoo struck in the 47th minute with a superbly controlled finish, extending the lead to 3-1 and delivering a cushion heading into the break.
The visitors refused to give up, pulling a goal back just four minutes after the break. A long clearance was headed away by O’Regan but only as far as Ollie Pendlebury, who volleyed powerfully into the net, making it 3-2.
Despite sustained pressure from Havant & Waterlooville in the final stages, Gloucester City held firm to claim all three points and return to winning ways.
Williams acknowledged the win was welcome but admitted there’s room for improvement: “It’s a good win. We scored three goals but stopped in a bit of a rut. We haven’t won in two league games, and we’d like to improve our standards in training and on the pitch.”
He praised his team’s resilience, especially in protecting the lead after conceding late in a previous match: “I’d have been really disappointed if we didn’t come away with three points. The lads showed resilience at the end to not concede late.”
The Gloucester boss also highlighted areas for defensive focus in training ahead of their next fixture: “There are a couple of defensive areas we need to improve, and that will be our main focus going into next week.”
Simpson’s contribution on his home debut did not go unnoticed: “That’s why we brought him in. He’s still building sharpness after limited game time recently, but he’s now scored two goals in two games, both instant finishes.”
Team line-ups:
Gloucester City: Thompson, Jones, Roberts (Leadbitter 92), O’Regan, Williams, Watts, Day (Obieri 92), Pinchard, Emmett, Baidoo (Spence 61), Simpson (Hanks 67).
Havant & Waterlooville: Cooper, Atangana, Milner-Smith, Pendlebury, Seager, Maloney, Giwa-Mcneil, Rooney (Livesey-Austin 74), Dockerill, Laidlaw.
Referee: Paul Collier.
Attendance: 1,089.