News

WINNING RUN EXTENDED TO FOUR

Borough produced one of their best performances of the season to extend their winning sequence to 4 - following straight on from a 4 match losing sequence.  The visitors, Southend Manor, never really recovered from going two down in the first ten minutes, and by half time the Borough tally had risen to 3 and by full time to 5 with no reply from Manor who were by no means the worst team Borough have played this season but were perhaps unluck to find Borough in such sparkling form.   Dewayne Clarke was the main architect of victory scoring twice himself after setting up both the opening goals.  The three points lifted Borough to 8th in the table. 

VASE SUCCESS AT MILE END STADIUM

Borough made their third visit of the season to the Mile End Stadium and after two disappointing results left comfortable 3-0 winners against their fellow Essex Senior League hosts, Tower Hamlets, to book their place in Mondays 2^nd Round draw.    After Dewayne Clarke had set up Anthony McDonald for an 8^th minute close range knock home Borough should have had more to show by the interval than just Dean Fentons 38^th minute finish from a tight angle.   Early pressure after the interval might well have set up a potential home come back but for a sensational stop by Borough ‘keeper Ashley Harris of a free header from just a few yards out as a corner came over from the right.   After that the outcome never seemed to be in any real doubt but it was into stoppage time before McDonald added the third also from a tight angle…...AND INTERESTING 2^nd ROUND DRAW........

On 16^th November we will visit a club we have certainly never met before - Thurlow Nunn Eastern Counties League Premier Division side WALSHAM – LE – WILLOWS.     They currently have a League record of 5 wins 5 draws and 3 defeats with a goals record of  For 25 Against 17.     Walsham -le- Willows is about 25 miles North West of Ipswich.

A NARROW WIN AT BASILDON

Borough should have won more comfortably than by a 2-1 scoreline after dominating the second half in order to overturn a half time deficit which was itself not reflective of the run of play. A superbly struck free kick had put Basildon United ahead while Borough had made and wasted numerous chances.   It was not until the 70^th minute that Anthiony McDonald drilled home the equaliser and it was from the penalty spot that Cedric Lakole netted the winner after a blatant and probably needless push as McDonald sent over a head high cross.

BACK TO WINNING WAYS

A sparkling first half performance with two players signed earlier in the day making promising debuts gave Borough a two goal interval  lead at Stansted's Hargrave Park Stadium - both courtesy of Anthony McDonald.   Borough were disrupted by a series of injuries in the second half but fortunately Stephanos Georgiou had added a third goal early on.  Stansted hit back immediately  with a fine effort scored direct from a free kick but although Borough had only nine players on the pitch come stoppage time they held out fairly comfortably and never looked likely to be caught.

LOSING RUN STRETCHED TO FOUR

Borough enjoyed the majority of possession against London APSA at the Terence McMillan Stadium but the fast and skilful home team made better use of their opportunities and ran out winners by the odd goal in five.   Borough paid dearly for defensive shortcomings in the first half which enabled APSA to lead 2-0 but they seemed to have recovered when Anthony McDonald took advantage of a home defence mix-up before the interval and  Andre Odetola retrieved a loose ball following a corner eight minutes into the second half and smashed it low towards the near post for two deflections to put Borough level.   But only for two minutes as the right flank of Borough's defence was outrun in a breakaway which resulted in the winner with Borough never able to severely test the home keeper despite their promising approach work.

DISAPPOINTING RETURN TO LEAGUE ACTION

After five consecutive knock out competition games Borough made a disappointing return to League action.

After giving Ryman Premier pacesetters Wealdstone a run for their money better might reasonably have been expected but a less than sparkling first half Borough performance which did provide a solitary goal lead at the interval was followed by a second period in which visitors FC Romania upped their contribution while lacklustre Borough’s moved in the opposite direction. So it was no great surprise that the visitors left as 2-1 winners and deservedly so.

 CUP RUN OVER

Borough’s “FA Cup with Budweiser” exploits finally came to an end at the fourth hurdle at Wealdstone’s Grosvenor Vale Stadium.   The 4-1 scoreline was a little harsh on Borough for they matched their Ryman Premier pace-setters for much of the game in all aspects except the vital one of finishing.   But with prolific scorer Scott McGleish, formerly of Leyton Orient and many other First and Second Division Football League Clubs, in “The Stones” line up that was hardly surprising.   He it was who scored the first two goals either side of half time and Borough needed a penalty spot blast by Cedric Lakole to get on the score-sheet in the 89^th minute which was never going to be anything more than a consolation. There was still time for Peter Dean to score his second of the match in the dying seconds of stoppage time.

ANOTHER DISMAL VISIT TO THE MILE END STADIUM

Borough have been beaten only twice this season and on both occasions it has been in the environs of  the somewhat soul-less Mile End Stadium.   The Women came a cropper here last Sunday too so it is hardly a matter for celebration that two more visits beckon before the end of the season especially as the first of them is as soon as 19th October when we will visit Tower Hamlets in the FA Vase.    This evening it was the other tenant's ,Sporting Bengal United, turn to inflict disappointment as Borough exited the Essex Senior League Cup by 0-2 thus bringing to an end Borough's erstwhile unstoppable run of knock out competition victories at the 7th attempt.    A much changed team was fielded to give many squad members who are not usually in the opening line-up a game but sadly no-one took the opportunity to stake a claim for a regular starting berth