Sussex Cup progress warms Eastbourne Borough hearts - after they're left in cold in FA Trophy
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Rock-bottom Rocks had arrived with a very youthful side, and suffered a blow before kick-off when Toby Kingswell was injured in the warm-up to be replaced by Mason Vince – leaving Bognor with only two on the bench.
The Sports, by contrast, fielded a starting XI drawn entirely from their large first team squad – even though only two of those players had started against Boreham Wood on Saturday. On paper, then, this was no contest of equals.
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There was pace in the action from the very start, and on just three minutes Yahya Bamba burst through the Rocks back line but struck his 20-yard effort wide of the left post.
Weathering the early pressure, and with a driving easterly wind at their backs, Bognor carved their own early chance, Tommy Lee Higgs forcing an arching save from home keeper Joe Wright. And in this early phase, it was quite a contest of equals, with front-foot running and swift transition by both teams.
Ryan Hall, in the visitors’ goal, was alert to catch Bamba’s diverted header, and Alfie Pavey strike nestled in the Bognor side-netting – but at the mid-mark of the first half, this remained a pretty even contest.
Were the Sports showing a hint of frustration? A flurry of Bognor attacks drew a mix of indignation and angst from the home fans – “What are you doing, Borough?” – and some rousing cheers from the clutch of Rocks loyalists who had made the long trip along the traffic-heavy A27.
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But on 40 minutes, the stalemate was broken. Bamba pounded in from the left wing and was felled by a rash tackle just inside the penalty area, and Alfie Pavey hammered in the spot-kick for 1-0.
A single goal deficit should have kept Bognor alive, but right on the 45 minutes, a blindingly quick left wing move and cross set up Pavey for a simple back-post header to double the lead. If this match had a pivotal moment, that was it.
Would Bognor tweak the game plan? Not really. With wide men Lennie Smith and Preston Woolston still nipping and swerving, and relative veteran Doug Tuck holding the line, they still played their football – when they had the ball.
But Eastbourne were now dominating possession, and the Rocks were compressed back into their own defensive third. The awesome David Sesay may have “full-back” on his CV, but on a night like this, David was given the freedom of the park and he seized it gleefully.
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Hide AdAround him, the sheer pace of the home attacks was often too much for even disciplined defenders, and we sensed a third Borough goal.
Even so, with possession persistently changing like turnovers in a basketball game, there was no white flag fluttering over the Bognor dugout. They just needed one of their quick breaks to bring a goal – but it did not quite happen.
With just under 20 minutes to play, a lovely flowing move sent Tommy-Lee Higgs in on goal, but that majestic king of centre-backs Moussa Diarra intervened with a perfect saving tackle.
And the last strike of this biting midwinter night was claimed by the visitors: a penalty, converted by Higgs in the fifth minute of stoppage time. Too little, too late.
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Hide AdThe Sports are now just one game away from an Amex final in the Sussex FA’s prestige competition. The Rocks have a grittier agenda. There is, and there always has been, a Bognor way of playing: it’s quite purist, always creative and never negative. Whatever the rest of this season may bring, if Bognor do escape the drop, Sussex football will be the richer.
As for the Sports, Murray’s men will have quite enjoyed a night of flowing football – but come Saturday, they will be back in the combat zone of National South, where the opponents mostly put the attritional ahead of the attractive. This Borough squad is a team for all seasons.
Boreham Wood 1 Eastbourne Boro 0
FA Trophy 3rd round
by Kevin Anderson and Ant Scott
Bitterly cold at Boreham Wood, and a bitter result. Experienced striker Kwesi Appiah snatched the only goal of the game ten minutes from time to leave the Sports frustrated, having controlled the tie for large parts at Meadow Park.
But they couldn’t get that breakthrough – and fell to defeat against fellow National League South opposition.
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Hide AdBorough have never reached Round Four, and Adam Murray named a strong side in a bid to make history. Alex Finney came in for his first appearance after re-signing, with Camron Gbadebo named on the bench – his firs competitive action in almost a year after an ACL injury.
Storm Darragh was creating very challenging conditions for both teams, and shooting into the stiff wind in the first half, it was the Sports who started the better.
Borough were moving the ball well and had the first sight of goal after seven minutes when Jayden Davis found the feet of Courtney Clarke, who turned away from his marker but saw his strike turned around the post by Nathan Ashmore.
The hosts then grew into the game, with Tyrone Marsh forcing Joe Wright into a smart save from a free-kick in a good position, but Borough continued to pose a threat themselves.
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Hide AdDavis fired over after good work from Michael Klass, before Klass’ fine through ball set Davis away down the right, but his low ball in looking for George Alexander was intercepted by Ashmore.
Clear cut chances were at a premium, as the freezing, buffeting wind undermined creative play – with Borough creating half chances through Klass and then Clarke, both just about dealt with by the home defence.
With the wind at their backs in the second half, the Sports started on the front foot as Klass intercepted a pass from Charlie O’Connell on the edge of the area but had his shot turned around the post by Ashmore, before Wright had to be alert at the other end to save from Dixon at the near post.
Alexander then gambled on a ball over the top which the home defence didn’t deal with, but had his effort on target parried over the bar by the Boreham Wood keeper, before Davis couldn’t quite pick out the far corner with an effort after cutting inside from the right.
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Hide AdBorough’s number 17 continued to cause the hosts problems, and was denied once again by Ashmore who made a superb save to turn his effort from 18 yards out behind for a corner.
However, it was the hosts who would break the deadlock on 80 minutes. Chris Bush whipped a ball in from the left hand side and it ran across to substitute Appiah, who pounced before firing into the bottom corner from inside the area.
The Sports threw everything forwards in a bid to get level, with Kai Innocent having a shot blocked before they almost grabbed a goal in spectacular style – but Dom Odusanya’s first time strike 30 yards out dipped just over. It summed up the afternoon: close, but not close enough.
And two special mentions: Steven Hughes on the whistle, firm but friendly as always (just a single yellow card) and respected by all. Can we have you every week, Steve? And to the travelling Borough support, who were once again magnificent throughout in testing conditions. The easily outsang (and out-drummed) the rather sparse home crowd!
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Hide AdEBFC: Wright; Barry, Kensdale, Finney (Quick 46 (Diarra 89)); Clarke, Johnson (Ballard McBride 86), Odusanya, Innocent; Davis (Pavey 83), Klass (Sesay 88); Alexander.
THE VIEW FROM THE PRESS BENCH
Well, Adam Murray knows much more about the game than a local reporter, but we can only point to his words below. Borough did not play poorly, indeed they were the better side, but good approach play is useless if you’re toothless. One of the (home) reporters did correctly point to the other reason, in his Non League Paper report: “But for some excellent saves by home keeper Nathan Ashmore, Eastbourne would have been out of sight…” Concentrate on the league? Sounds like a plan!
THE VIEW FROM THE GAFFER
Murray said: “Two good teams going head to head, and as a spectacle I enjoyed the game. But the overriding feeling for me is frustration. We had enough final-third possession, enough crosses into the box, enough shots, to win a game of football. But we’re not taking those opportunities, we’re not being clinical and ruthless.
“At times we are happy to play four of five nice passes around the box, when we need to work the goalkeeper. We have to understand that the end product of football is scoring goals, and not just looking good!
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Hide Ad“The difference between the sides? Boreham Wood made three, four, five subs – but they were bringing on fire-power – quality strikers, proven goalscorers. We are two top teams who will be up there at the end of the season, but today that scorer has had one opportunity and he’s finished it!”
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