North Ferriby are the team we aspire to be - Holleran

Two goals inside 12 minutes either side of the break cemented the Villagers’ position at the head of the Conference North and Holleran said it was no disgrace to lose to Billy Heath’s upwardly mobile side.

“They’re probably the in-form team in non-league football at the moment and a team we’re aspiring to be like,” said Holleran.

“They’re a fast counter-attacking side who play quick one and two-touch football.

“You look at some of the chances they created and think what could we have done better.

“But sometimes players do things that can’t be stopped and you have to accept they were better than us.

“You stand there and think that aint bad and you don’t know whether to cry or clap.”

With three forward players who Holleran believes would walk into any team in the Conference Premier - one of who started on the bench - the Villagers’ embarrassment of riches contrast starkly with Brakes’ threadbare resources.

Injuries picked up by Ricky Johnson and Joe Magunda in the 0-0 draw at Solihull Moors last Saturday ruled them out of Tuesday night’s clash and the Brakes boss has moved swiftly to bring physio Dave Ward back to the club on a short-term contract.

Lee Chilton has also suffered a setback as he bids to return from injury, while long-term absentees Richard Batchelor, Martyn Naylor and Alex Taylor have stretched the wafer-thin squad to breaking point.

Holleran is hoping to add a new face before tomorrow’s home clash with Harrogate, but says he will be glad when January is out of the way.

“It’s a difficult period,” he said. “I knew four games in ten days would test us.

“We’ve just been getting by, but the players that were missing on Tuesday night were big players.”

However, despite the patched-up nature of his side, Holleran was still disappointed with the manner of both North Ferriby’s goals, with the opener proving particularly hard to swallow.

“I was really pleased with the first half. They missed a couple of great opportunities but Danny Newton also missed a great chance and it could have been 3-2 to them at half-time.

“To get to half-time at 0-0 would have been massive for us.

“It’s a mistake. Tony Breeden has made the decision to come for the corner and it’s dropped on him.

“It’s a poor, poor goal to concede and it deflates you.

“It affected us pyschologically, I could see that.”