News

RUN OF DEFEATS ENDED

Playing their 4th game in the space of 6 days a Borough team showing many changes from that which had done so well at Champions Dunstable Town two days earlier finally ended the run of four consecutive defeats at Tring Athletic's Grass Roots Stadium.  In less than two minutes Dean Fenton had put Borough ahead and Anthony McDonald doubled the lead a minute before the interval.   Tring pulled one back midway through the second half and some fiery clashes in the latter stages, on both the field and the touchline,  belied the fact that it was a somewhat meaningless end of season mid-table affair. Borough missed some fine half chance opportunities to create a bigger safety margin but held out fairly comfortably for their 2-1 win.

BOROUGH PUSH CHAMPIONS ALL THE WAY

It has long been obvious that Dunstable Town would be this seasons Champions but they needed to beat Borough at Creasey Park to make it a mathematical reality.  They did so but not until Borough had produced a second half display which would have left the unknowing wondering which team were the Champions elect.    Borough were eventually undone by conceding one set piece too many some ten minutes from time when a corner was powerfully headed home.   And the first  Dunstable goal a minute before the interval was also a header created by a free kick.   Anthony McDonald had equalised early in the second half with a precise finish from the edge of the area and after that it was anyone's game.  So congratulations to Dunstable and we look forward to their visit to Coles Park for the return League fixture on Saturday 20th when their focus will doubtless be on completing their League programme unbeaten - at present they are the only Club in the Country playing at Step 5 level or above not to have lost a League game - assuming neither Harefield United nor AFC Dunstable deprive them of that record in the meantime 

ANOTHER DEFEAT -  BUT THE LADS DONE GREAT

With three games to be played in four days culminating in Tuesdays visit to Champions elect Dunstable Town (who will be champions if they overcome Borough) it was inevitable that many changes would be necessary.   Borough took the opportunity to give debuts to three young players - Aristides Savva,   Jack Christidolou (both aged 17 at right back and left back) and Adam Andreou (aged 18 at wide midfield).    They all slotted in well and bore no responsibility for the three Colney Heath goals to which Borough were unable to reply despite enjoying the majority of possession after the interval  and going close on several occasions.  Unfortunately after being two goals behind at half time Heath's third arrived seconds after the restart effectively putting the game beyond realistic hope of a successful comeback.

BOROUGH GIFT WRAP THE POINTS

It was fortunate that nothing much was at stake when London Colney visited Coles Park as both Clubs will finish in mid-table respectability for had the result been of any importance Borough Manager Tom Loizou would probably have burst a blood vessel as he watched a series of blunders of which the visitors took full advantage to snatch the points when the last of them in the final minute of the game enabled them to leave victors by the odd goal in five; this after Borough had eschewed more than enough chances to have the game won by then.   Darrell Cox scored a hat-trick but unfortunately his third was in his own net !   The match encapsulated why Borough, who started the season with realistic hopes of promotion, now have to look on while the team they slaughtered 8-0 in early September battles it out for the runners up spot.   Failure to press home advantages and sloppy concessions have taken their toll and that of the 44 competitive matches played 13 have ended in odd goal or penalty shoot out defeats just shows what might have been. Meanwhile results elsewhere mean that still unbeaten Dunstable Town will clinch the Championship if they beat Borough at Creasey Park on Tuesday

DEFEATED - BUT NOT AS EASILY AS THE SCORE SUGGESTS

Borough's pre-match preparations were completely disrupted by the closure of the M1 in Bedfordshire with four players not arriving until after the match should have started.   The actual kick-off was at 8.10pm by which time Borough had 12 players but one of the intended starters was unable to reach the ground until half time.    Borough fielded a much changed team with two players making their debuts.   The 3-0 margin was not an altogether accurate reflection of the game with the third goal not arriving until the 9th minute of stoppage time and then from a penalty for handball.    Although two goals down by the interval Borough gave their promotion chasing opponents several nervous moments in the second half, wasting several fine oppportunites to reduce the arrears and increase the pressure.      

BOROUGH BACK ON THE GOAL TRAIL

After two games in which they failed to find the net the 5-0 win over visiting Stotfold was obviously comfortable enough.    But it should be borne in mind that the visitors arrived without any substitutes and played their Manager in goal with the Assistant Manager having to enter the fray as a substitute midway through the second half.     The first half was even enough with Borough not taking the lead until two minutes from the interval but when Darrell Cox scored twice in the first six minutes of the second half it was all over bar the shouting. Cox went on to add two more to his tally in the last 10 minutes, the first of them from a penalty.   Stotfold too were  awarded a penalty with the score at 3-0 but Erbil Bozkurt pulled off a fine save.

LATE PENALTY DOWNS BOROUGH

A match between two mid-table sides with nothing at stake lived up to the expectations engendered by such a meeting.    Clear cut chances were few and far between and the game had goal-less draw written all over it until in the 80th minute a harmless looking cross was deemed to have been handled by Lewis Laws giving visting Harefield United a hotly disputed penalty which they duly converted to leave with all three points.

NO GOALS BUT UNBEATEN RUN NOW FOUR GAMES

Despite being obliged to adopt a rotation policy and omit everal regular starters for the 4th game in 8 days on the evening of Thursday 14th, Borough's much changed squad garnered a hard earned point in a goal-less stalemate.  Tiring Borough survived a late onslaught from visiting Berkhamsted with some brave defensive blocking in front of defiant 'keeper Erbil Bozkurt although had the oppositions finishing been more clinical it would have been in vain.    The point raised Borough one place up the table to 9th.