News

.....................A VERY GOOD WEEKEND

 

On Saturday the First Team moved back into second place with their 3-2 win over Bedford (who were third with Borough fourth) and are now three points behind leaders Kentish Town with two games in hand.   Harpenden Town's unexpected 1-0 win at Hoddesdon Town helped enormously.

 

Then on Sunday, the Women set themselves up for a London County Cup quarter final away to Tottenham Hotspur with a 1-0 win away to Addeyans (Long Lane) in Blackheath.

 

 

 

Borough twice came from behind to take three points from visiting Cranfield United by the odd goal in five to give new Manager Allan Fenn a winning start on 3rd November from a thrill a minute game which was a credit to both teams.

 

With other results going Borough's way victory restored Borough to the top of the table.

 

But with no fixture on the following Saturday it was almost inevitable that tenure of the top spot would be lost and Hoddesdon Town duly took advantage of Borough's rest day.

MANAGERIAL CHANGE

 

After careful deliberation the Club Board reluctantly came to the conclusion that First Team Manager Ged Searson had probably taken the Club as far as he could and that a new face would be the best way to maintain the forward progress of the Club.    The Club is of course, grateful to Ged for all the hard work he has contributed over the last two years.      

 

An anouncement concerning a new apointment will be made as soon as possible.

 

IN THE MEANTIME, ALL PLAYERS ARE ASKED TO NOTE THAT TRAINING WILL CONTINUE AS USUAL AND THEY SHOULD MAKE EVERY EFFORT TO ATTEND AT THE DOUGLAS EYRE SPORTS CENTRE AT 8.30pm ON TUESDAY 30th OCTOBER  &  COLES PARK AT 7pm ON THURSDAY 1st NOVEMBER    

 

Not only did Borough waste a golden opportunity to re-claim top spot with leaders Hoddesdon Town engaged in Cup action but they lost their runners up place too even though third placed Brache Sparta  lost 2-1 because  the greater margin of our 0-3 reverse left our goal difference one worse than Brache's although we do have a game in hand on them.   

 

Somewhat deja vu today as Harpenden Town joined a long list of Clubs who over the years have visited Coles Park as table proppers and left with three valuable points.     And it cannot be denied that they deserved them as they dominated the closing stages and made several fine chances to increase their score but wasted them.    Borough's best period was the opening half hour and a superb run and shot by Daniel Ailey deserved better than to be denied by the woodwork but after Harpenden took the lead with their first real shot - from the penalty spot following a nudge when no real danger seemed to threaten - Borough fell away and an unknowing viewer would have assumed Borough were the Club at the bottom.

 

Table topping teams can rarely expect to stay there after two successive defeats and so it proved as Hoddesdon Town took over courtesy of their 4-2 win at Brache Sparta and Borough's defeat by the same score at Kentish Town.     Surprisingly, they remain second as Bedford, three points behind them lost 1-0 at mid-table New Bradwell St. Peter.

 

Borough were undone by the clinical finishing of Jonathon Donoghue (3) and Lee Scott (1) and although enjoying a fair share of possession could respond only from set pieces.  They were 2-0 down at the interval but given hope when Mark Maher scored direct from a free kick a minute after the restart and for a while looked capable of getting back into the game before a defensive error enabled Town to restore their two goal lead midway through the half.  Borough quickly pulled  the margin back, again from a free kick which hit the post leaving Adeniyi Adedeji a simple task to nod the loose ball into the net; but when Donoghue soon completed his hat-trick Borough were chasing the game again.  Ten minutes from time they had the opportunity to set up a nail biting finale but Kieran Donnelly's fierce penalty kick smashed againt the underside of the bar and bounced down almost onto the line and the home keeper somehow got up to tip Chima Obiji's   virtually point blank header over the bar.  Borough kept pushing forward  but never managed to fashion any clear cut openings.    

 

There have probably been few previous seasons when Borough carried an unbeaten League record into mid-October but Hoddesdon Town's Lowfield ground was always likely to prove the terminus for our record and so it proved.    Emphatically so.   The only consolation is that despite the damage to our goal-difference in a 4-0 defeat we are still top by virtue of a better difference than Brache Sparta - although if Hoddesdon had put away three more of their gilt edged chances we would have been dislodged.    Hoddesdon remain the only unbeaten team in the Division and have now dropped only four points to our nine and have two games in hand on us so are entitled to regard themselves as "leaders in waiting".

      Not a particularly exciting or memorable game but the point earned in the 1-1 draw at  home to Stony Stratford Town keeps Borough at the top of the table, albeit only on goal difference now with Brache Sparta also on 24 points

     But the main challenge is now from Hoddesdon Town whose 2-0 win at home to Bedford Town Reserves means that they have dropped only 4 points to Borough's six.   So the scene is set for a real "six-pointer" as Borough visit Lowfield on Tuesday evening.     Unless they lose by at least a seven goal margin, Borough will remain top even if Hoddesdon win but it would leave Borough only a point ahead of their hosts who would also have two games in hand.     Nail-biting times ahead !

 

 

 

With erstwhile leaders Bedford going down 2-1 at Hoddesdon Town, Borough moved to the top of the Spartan South Midlands Division 1 table with a comfortable win on Saturday.   Mark Maher slipped in Adeniyi Adedeji for the first after 20 minutes; Michael Ingall-Clark and Daneil Iroegbu were in the right place to provide simple finishes to flowing moves in which Chima Obiji was prominent before the interval.
Even though "The Eagles" pulled one back from the penalty spot following a hand ball early in the second half Borough never looked to be in any real danger and Iroegbu finished the scoring 5 minutes from time, also from the spot, after Adedeji's long mazy run was ended with a trip as he worked his way across the penalty area seeking a shooting opportunity.     Borough and Hoddesdon Town have now each dropped 4 points but Borough have the better goal difference while Hoddesdon have two games in hand.