County 1 Hayes & Yeading 5

IT’S probably safe to say that Dean Holdsworth has had better birthdays.

The County manager turned 40 on Saturday, his office adorned with banners, a cake sitting on his desk, but after seeing his side completely destroyed by Hayes & Yeading he wasn’t in a party mood.

They say life begins at 40 and, after a glittering playing career in the Premier League with Wimbledon and Bolton, Holdsworth is learning quickly that life in the Conference South can be pretty tough.

The strange thing is that it could all have been so different on Saturday. At half-time, with the score at 1-1 the mood was pretty positive around Spytty Park.

The superb Craig Reid, County’s only real candidate for man-of-the-match, had cancelled out Steven Perkins eighth minute opener with a well-taken strike 20 minutes later and the home side, if not exactly dominating, looked a good bet to go on and claim only their third league win of the season.

Then, as if someone had flicked a switch, they collapsed. They completely fell apart. It was worse than watching England’s middle order in the mid ‘90s.

Ashley Vickers and Paul Cochlin, both brilliant at Basingstoke the week before, were literally falling over themselves as the visitors’ young, quick and clinical attack ran rings around them.

In the space of 17 second half minutes Hayes hit four superb goals without reply. It could have been seven or eight so feeble was the resistance from Vickers, Cochlin, Paul Bignot and Steve Jenkins, the latter admittedly playing out of position at left-back with Martyn Giles suffering from flu.

It wasn’t just the defence of course. Glyn Thompson couldn’t really be blamed for any of the goals but nobody in an amber shirt, apart from Reid, came out of the game with any real credit.

Nathan Davies and Adie Harris were there to shield the back four but failed to turn up after the break.

Danny Rose, his long ball for Reid’s goal aside, couldn’t get into the game.

Leon Osei, making his first start in place of Kevin Cooper after impressing the manager in training, failed to make any sort of impression with limited possession and Rob Duffy also had a day to forget.

The Reid-Duffy partnership failed to spark for the second week running and the sooner Craig Hughes beats the flu bug the better.

The outstanding player on the pitch, though he had plenty of competition from his team-mates, was Hayes’ James Mulley and he was involved in the opening goal after eight minutes, finding Esmond James on the right wing.

His cross was brilliantly converted by Perkins with the minimal amount of fuss. It was a ruthlessly efficient piece of football, which served as a warning of what was to come later, but County responded well.

Duffy, Harris and Reid all had chances before a long clearance from Rose on the edge of his own area found Reid 30 yards from goal.

Out-jumping visiting captain Tom Cadmore he won the header and after a ricochet off Matt Ruby he was through on goal.

The outcome was never in doubt as the former Ipswich Town and Coventry City striker held off Cadmore’s challenge and beat ‘keeper Delroy Preddie with consummate ease to score the Exiles’ 1300th league goal since the club was reborn.

But that goal, in the 28th minute, was as good as it got for County.

Those listening at home or in work to the club’s excellent internet radio commentary would have been buoyed by the first half showing but they may count themselves lucky that technical problems meant there was no commentary after the break.

The 679 in the ground were not so fortunate. It was painful viewing from the moment star man Mulley made it 2-1 in the 54th minute.

A poor clearance from Vickers led to a slick move involving James and Scott Fitzgerald and another simple but brilliant goal.

The visitors were faster, more clinical and playing with a huge amount of confidence. There was almost a swagger about them and eight minutes later it was 3-1 and game over.

Duffy was caught on the ball in midfield and a lightning quick pass from Mulley put Fitzgerald through to toe-poke home.

He added the fourth two minutes later when Cochlin and Vickers both failed to clear the ball and the lethal striker fired past Thompson from wide on the right.

Joshua Scott completed the rout on 71 minutes, stooping to head home Ronnie Bull’s cross at the near post unchallenged and condemning County to their worst home league defeat since Cheltenham triumphed 5-1 in Newport back in December 1996.

County: Thompson, Bignot, Jenkins, Davies, Vickers, Cochlin, Rose, Harris (Evans, 86), Duffy (Hughes, 60), Reid, Osei (Cooper, 71).

Subs not used: Giles, James Hayes & Yeading: Preddie, Allen-Page, Bull, Cadmore (Collins, 82), Ruby, Marwa, Mulley, Perkins, Fitzgerald, James (Lovell, 84), Scott (Gregory, 76).

Subs not used: Knight, Howe Referee: Nigel Lugg Attendance: 679 Argus star man: James Mulley