Junior Hoilett’s ‘Three of the Best’

BY MKUU AMANI

With only ten minutes left, his team was trailing by three goals.

The rain hung on the cold, dense air, each drop glistening like tiny diamonds under the weight of the stadium’s floodlights.

He received a nicely weighted pass, allowing the ball to travel across his body before controlling it with his left foot.

The defender had stood off him, allowing him a split-second moment to glance upwards and assess the situation.

Controlling the ball with neat, little touches, he pressed forward. But from his position, out wide on the left, he would need to produce something special if he was going to help his team to get back into the match.

With a sudden change of direction, he cut in towards his right, a move that caught the defender by surprise.

Seeing his teammate in trouble, a second defender joined the action throwing himself quickly between the attacker and the goal, clearly hoping that his large frame would prevent any further incursion.

It wasn’t to be – another sudden drive to his right followed, then two touches – the first to bring the ball with him and then the second to set up the shot.

It took just a few more moments for the ball to glide swiftly over the head of a third defender before arcing inwards towards the top-right angle of the goal frame.

Caressing the innards of the side netting as it floated past, it swung around and beyond the goalkeeper’s reach then slammed into the back of the net before dropping to the ground.

Although it had only reduced the deficit and his team would go on to lose 3-2, Junior Hoilett’s effort, a goal of sublime quality, would go on to be celebrated over a year later.

England’s Premier League has a twitter account that boasts over 21 million followers.

The account regularly posts videos of unforgettable goals using the hashtag – #goaloftheday. On January 9^th, it was Hoilett’s strike that took center stage.

Born to Jamaican parents in Brampton, Canada, the 29-year-old winger has played in the UK since 2003. He turned down extended trials with Manchester United to join Blackburn Rovers.

After a Rovers career that saw him notch up 12 goals in 81 appearances, he moved south to join Queens Park Rangers in the capital city.

Between 2012 and 2016, he notched up another 12 goals in 112 appearances before a free transfer took him to his current club, Cardiff City.

It’s fair to say that, unlike one of his favourite footballers Ronaldo (the Brazilian legend) the Canadian International is not a prolific goal scorer. However, he does score some splendidly memorable goals.

The one against Watford he remembered well, especially as it began with a one on one situation, something he’d been looking for all match.

He said, “I tried to make the most of it. He (the defender) showed the left.  I dropped my shoulder and sold him a dummy. The centre midfielder came to try and help him, and that made my angle even better, so I just tapped it again and curled it.

“The centre midfielder made it easier for me to guide it around because he helped me get that angle to the far post.”

He may have made it look effortless, but the player is quick to point out how much work goes into his game.

“Actually, that week,” he added, “I was training with my striker coach. He showed me a video clip after I scored that goal. It was exactly how we’d practiced it at training. You don’t just get to do these things – you have to work hard at it in training.”

 His celebrated goal of the day which came against Watford compares to another goal he scored, this time for Queens Park Rangers against Brentford: a goal so good that it won QPR’s Goal of the Season in 2016.

In a fashion similar to the goal described above, the winger picked up the ball just inside the opposition half. Then, dazzling his opponents with some neat trickery and a masterful display of acceleration, he pounced on the opportunity and finished exquisitely.

Another beautiful right-footed curler that no Keeper in the world would have saved.

“I’m naturally right-footed.” He said. “You can see with these goals that I score with my right. I like to cut inside because it’s harder for the defender to mark me there. When I go down the left, it’s easier to defend against because I only have one option – get a cross in with the left. When I come inside, I have multiple options, and that makes it harder for the defenders.”

His goal against Brentford was extra special. For one, the fixture is a West London Derby. It was also Hoilett’s sixth Championship goal of the season. The final 3-0 win also gave manager, Jimmy Floyd Hasselbaink his first back to back win with the club.

“I picked the ball up at the halfway line and dribbled at them,” Hoilett recalled. “It kinda opened up, and I used the defender as a shield to curl it around him. It was a good goal, especially in a local derby. And to get the win as well – it was a good goal.”

 Again, he was quick to point out the merits of working hard in training.

“You have to train to get that confidence. And to know how to put the right power and finesse on the ball. You have to work towards those goals.”

 Asked to choose a favourite from his rich catalogue of impressive goals, Hoilett named a few. Amongst them was the sweetly struck curler in the Premier League for Cardiff against Wolves on November 30^th, 2018.

Cardiff was attacking and had numbers in the Wolves penalty box. Bobby Reid’s snapshot rebounded off defender Romain Saiss’s legs. With the ball rolling out towards him, Hoilett leapt on the opportunity to hit a beautiful first-time, side-foot shot.

His teammates immediately swamped him, and the home supporters were ecstatic – such was the quality of the goal and the drama of the occasion.

“It was a match-winner in an important game. We needed to get the win. It’s one of my favourites.”