News

FA ABANDON STEP 5 RE-STRUCTURING

BOROUGH NOT GOING EAST

The FA have concluded that their proposed restructuring of Step 5 Leagues (basically reducing them from 14 to 12) is impractical and unworkable.

So at the end of next season Borough will not be dragged eastwards kicking and screaming  after all !

The main objective was the creation of a situation where there would be an equal number of relegation spots (ie 14) from Step 4 and Champion Clubs of Step 5 Leagues for promotion.   This has been achieved as the Isthmian (Rymans) League will be increasing the number of Clubs in their two Division Ones from 22 to 24 in 2013/14 and relegating 3 teams each year.   The two Evostik (Southern and Northern Premier) Leagues will not be increasing their Division one sizes or relegating more than 2 Clubs each year.

Also of interest is that the 3^rd placed Club in any Division 5 League would be eligible for promotion – ground facilities etc. permitting – if both the Champions and Runners-up were ineligible for any reason.

See “LATEST +” “Spartan Team" option on left for full text of FA Statement

BOROUGH WOMEN OFF TO ABU DHABI

Borough Women are delighted to have been invited to be one of six teams to participate in a 5 a side Womens Tournament in Abu Dhabi from 26^th to 31^st May.     Borough will be competing in 40 minute games on a “round robin” basis against two sides from the United Arab Emirates and one each from Jordan, Hungary and Uzbekistan.

The Tournament is being organised by the Abu Dhabi Sports Council and the United Arab Emirates FA Womens Committee. The teams will be accommodated at the Armed Forces Officers Club and Hotel in Abu Dhabi and all matches will be played on a pitch within its grounds.

 Borough have been invited as winners of the “Unity Cup” Womens 5 a side Tournaments in London in both 2010 and 2011. The “Unity Cup” is an annual event started in 2007 as a commemoration of the 7/7 London bombings and brings together London's communities, social and corporate organisations and UK Government Departments.  The core aim is to encourage the crossing of ethnic and religious barriers and to unite against terrorism, extremism and Islamophobia by bringing together young people of all religious, ethnic and social backgrounds through football to create a better world through the global appeal of the game.   

STATISTICAL RETROSPECT 2011/12

Almost certainly, this has been Borough’s best ever season.   Between them the Mens and Womens teams have played 96 games (Men 64, Women 32) and won 58 of them.   The MEN have finished in their highest ever position (5th) in the Premier Division of the Spartan South Midlands League  and won the most prestigious of the Leagues internal competitions, the League Challenge Trophy.   The WOMEN recovered from a disastrous start to grab runners up spot in Division One South of the Eastern Region Womens League and thus regained the Premier Division status they lost last season at the first attempt.

MENS TEAM

WOMENS TEAM

COMBINED RECORD

ALL OVER - SEASON ENDS WITH DEFEAT BY CHAMPIONS

Although already confirmed as Champions Royston Town were obviously keen to put on a sparkling performance for the massive crowd of 503  as they bid farewell to the Spartan South Midlands League and duly did so.   Borough were four down after 50 minutes and it could have been much worse but for an outstanding display by 'keeper Ryohei Tamai.  A great improvement by Borough in the later stages brought goals by Christopher Morgan and, in stoppage time, by Dean Fenton.    But "The Crows" showed themselves to be worthy Champions and we wish them well in their higher Evo-stik Southern or Ryman campaign next season.  

LEAGUE CHALLENGE TROPHY WON

Borough won the League Challenge Trophy for the first time with a hard fought single goal victory over Hillingdon Borough at Hanwell Town's Reynolds Fields Stadium.    Darrell Cox swept home the only goal in the 50th minute and, as was to be expected, Borough's defence was thoroughly tested by their opponents late onslaught and held out successfully with some vital last ditch blocks

BOROUGH LOSE GAME OF 4 SPOT KICKS

Borough’s disappointing end of season form continued with yet another home defeat, this time 1-4 by Tring Athletic.   Leading 1-0 at the interval Borough’s second half surrender seemed to suggest that minds were already focused on next Tuesdays League Trophy Final at Hanwell Town against Hillingdon Borough.   And the penalty for such a lacklustre performance was duly paid – three penalties in fact with the first leading to the dismissal of Charles Douse. All were tucked away by Tony Fields who also netted the only open play goal of the game to draw his side level, Borough’s first half goal also being a penalty which Lloyd Opara drove home. But if this suggests a rough house game nothing could be further from the truth for it was a typical “end of season, nothing much at stake” affair with Tring deserving winners for their greater appetite for hard work.   If Borough’s poor home form had just matched their away record over the season they would have garnered 90 points which is often enough for promotion, although not this season.   But  in reality the home haul of 1.71 points per game as opposed to 2.15 per game when travelling now sees Borough needing to win away to Champions Royston Town next Saturday just to finish 4^th as the 3 goal margin of todays defeat coupled with Aylesbury United beating Royston Town by 3-0 has equalled up the goal differences and “The Ducks” are only 2 points behind. Ironically Aylesbury will actually have the chance to secure 4^th spot by winning at Coles Park next Saturday for they will be away to homeless London Tigers who have hired the Stadium.

WOMENS MATCH POSTPONED BUT PROMOTION CONFIRMED

The match between Haringey Borough and Baldock Town Women on 15th April was called off as Baldock were unable to raise a team. The points have been awarded to Borough whch cements a second place finish.   This means that Borough should now play off against the 10th placed team in the Premier Division for possible promtion back to the Premier Division from which they were relegated at the end of season 2010/11 but with a number of Premier Division Clubs withdrawing automatic Promotion for Borough has been announced.

BOROUGH COMPLETE THEIR CENTURY TARGET DESPITE SUB-STANDARD PERFORMANCE

Almost certainly for the first time ever since the merger of Edmonton and Wood Green Town to form the renamed Club in the mid 1970’s Borough have scored 100 League goals and with two games to spare as well. Surprisingly it was central defender Nick Nicou who notched the 100^th – and even more surprisingly it came in open play and from close range too.     There was little else to enthuse about in Borough’s performance at Broxbourne Borough’s Goffs Lane ground in which they twice came from behind to be level at 2-2 at the interval only to lose to the only goal of the second half.   With nothing of great importance at stake it was obvious from the start that Broxbourne were showing more passion and pride in their performance and while a draw would probably have been a fairer overall outcome on the run of play they made their greater determination count.

DECISIVE EVENTS ELSEWHERE - Congratulations are due to Royston Town who secured the Championship today thanks to their not unexpected 1-0 win at Oxhey Jets coupled with the very surprising 0-1 home defeat by Hillingdon Borough of their only challengers Dunstable Town.   We had hoped that Dunstable would maintain the pressure so that we would have been in with the chance of making a decisive contribution to the race when we visit Garden Walk on the last day of the season but the match may well now mean more to us than to “The Crows” if we need a point to clinch 4^th spot.

At the wrong end of the table Holmer Green virtually secured their survival with a 1-0 win over Harefield United and it is Hanwell Town and Hatfield Town who will occupy the relegation spots barring some extraordinary cricket type scores in the final two games.