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Rob Holding has given Wanderers some comic relief after it looked like they were on the road to nowhere.
The bubbly young defender did his best to keep spirits up at the cash-strapped club last week, as distraught staff were told they would not be paid.
But nothing cheered folk up quite like his goal to set Wanderers on their way to a much-needed win at the Macron, even if his dad Stuart was left in tears.
“It has been hard to put it all to the back of your mind because the staff you see every day have been so upset,” he said.
“People tell me I’m a happy-go-lucky type who has a smile on his face all the time. So I’ve tried to crack a couple of jokes and keep people’s spirits up if I can. It’ll definitely be easier after this.
“My dad has carried me around for years and I’ve got a lot to thank him for.
“The lads were saying he was in tears when I scored – and the relief around the place is amazing.”
Holding, who picked the Whites over Manchester City when he was eight years old, was thrust into the senior ranks this season by Neil Lennon after a brief spell on loan at Bury last season.
A Droylsden lad who lives 10 minutes down the road from fellow academy graduate Zach Clough, the 20-year-old has been keen to follow his mate’s lead.
“Me and Zach live close to each other so we’ve been car sharing – like Peter Kay,” he said.
“I’ve known him for years. I saw him coming through at Bolton and scoring goals, getting headlines and thought ‘it’s possible’.
“Hopefully people look at me now and say they want to follow what Rob Holding did. It’s a credit to the academy at Lostock – David Lee, Tony Kelly and Nicky Spooner. A lot of the FA Youth team that got to the quarter-finals are coming through now.”
Goals from Darren Pratley and Shola Ameobi had Wanderers fans singing the Great Escape throughout an absorbing game that lifted a sullen mood around the club.
Holding hopes that can bleed into next weekend’s FA Cup fourth round game against Leeds United and mean the focus is shifted away from the boardroom and back on to the pitch for a while.
“That’s two on the bounce for us now and we haven’t done that for ages,” he said. “We have to build on it, especially with the next round of the FA Cup coming up. It brings us back in touch with the clubs above us, so hopefully we can follow it up.
“We needed a win and hopefully that is enough to restore a little bit of belief around the place.
“There’s still a long way to go but hopefully this will help us crawl our way up
“Everyone knows it’s been tough on and off the pitch, and it does affect you. But you have to try and put it to the back of your mind and get back to playing like you did when you were a kid.”
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The bubbly young defender did his best to keep spirits up at the cash-strapped club last week, as distraught staff were told they would not be paid.
But nothing cheered folk up quite like his goal to set Wanderers on their way to a much-needed win at the Macron, even if his dad Stuart was left in tears.
“It has been hard to put it all to the back of your mind because the staff you see every day have been so upset,” he said.
“People tell me I’m a happy-go-lucky type who has a smile on his face all the time. So I’ve tried to crack a couple of jokes and keep people’s spirits up if I can. It’ll definitely be easier after this.
“My dad has carried me around for years and I’ve got a lot to thank him for.
“The lads were saying he was in tears when I scored – and the relief around the place is amazing.”
Holding, who picked the Whites over Manchester City when he was eight years old, was thrust into the senior ranks this season by Neil Lennon after a brief spell on loan at Bury last season.
A Droylsden lad who lives 10 minutes down the road from fellow academy graduate Zach Clough, the 20-year-old has been keen to follow his mate’s lead.
“Me and Zach live close to each other so we’ve been car sharing – like Peter Kay,” he said.
“I’ve known him for years. I saw him coming through at Bolton and scoring goals, getting headlines and thought ‘it’s possible’.
“Hopefully people look at me now and say they want to follow what Rob Holding did. It’s a credit to the academy at Lostock – David Lee, Tony Kelly and Nicky Spooner. A lot of the FA Youth team that got to the quarter-finals are coming through now.”
Goals from Darren Pratley and Shola Ameobi had Wanderers fans singing the Great Escape throughout an absorbing game that lifted a sullen mood around the club.
Holding hopes that can bleed into next weekend’s FA Cup fourth round game against Leeds United and mean the focus is shifted away from the boardroom and back on to the pitch for a while.
“That’s two on the bounce for us now and we haven’t done that for ages,” he said. “We have to build on it, especially with the next round of the FA Cup coming up. It brings us back in touch with the clubs above us, so hopefully we can follow it up.
“We needed a win and hopefully that is enough to restore a little bit of belief around the place.
“There’s still a long way to go but hopefully this will help us crawl our way up
“Everyone knows it’s been tough on and off the pitch, and it does affect you. But you have to try and put it to the back of your mind and get back to playing like you did when you were a kid.”
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