28/4/2008

Sport

Boro lift the title as Cherrywood parties again

by Chris Harris

THE football on show may have been a far cry from some of the high quality entertainment Farnborough have served up at times this year, but very few of the 785 supporters inside Cherrywood Road were ever likely to be bothered with that.

The clash with Uxbridge on Saturday, Boro’s last league game of the season, was never going to be more than a sub-plot to the day’s real issues.

Already champions, Boro were presented with the BGB Southern 1 South & West trophy, winning promotion at the first time of asking since the club’s birth last summer.

Long-serving chairman Tony Theo, a man who experienced the heartbreak of Farnborough Town folding along with the fans, finally called it a day as he stepped aside from the helm of the new club.

And with victorious manager Andy Clement also walking out at Cherrywood Road for the final time after announcing he too was to leave his position at the end of the season there was a mix of emotions. Boro were basking in the glory of winning the league, but said goodbye to two of the key men that made the title success possible.

Losing a manager and chairman at the end of a campaign may be more reminiscent of a side that has just endured a torrid time of things, but that could hardly be further from the truth at Boro.

Francis Vines takes charge of the team after next month’s Hampshire Senior Cup final, and he brings with him a wealth of non-league experience, and success as a manager at this level and higher.

And there are few that doubt that with Simon Hollis taking over from Theo, the structure both on and off the pitch is in place to get Boro back up the non-league pyramid.

The jubilant scenes as Boro lifted the trophy, cracked open the champagne again, and celebrated with their fans on the pitch, made it clear that losing the game itself was forgotten even quicker than it took Uxbridge to score the winning goal in the eighth minute of the match.

The simple facts were that the visitors needed a win to ensure that they too have a shot at promotion in this week’s play-offs, while Boro were already in celebratory mood after sealing the title last Saturday and beating Hillingdon Borough 4-1 in mid-week. Arguably, it was little surprise that Uxbridge became only the second team to win at Cherrywood Road in the league this season.

The game itself saw Clement revert back to his tried and tested side, with Lyall Beazley, Ian Oliver, Adam Doyle, Luke Evans, Marcus Richardson and Darren Wheeler restored to the starting line up.

But Boro started sluggishly in the sunshine, and after ex-Chelsea midfielder Mark Nicholls had fired an early warning shot, Uxbridge grabbed the lead they were desperate for.

Not that they had to work too hard for it, as Nicholls curled in a freekick and defender Mark Dennison enjoyed the freedom of the penalty area, powering home a header to open the scoring.

The visitors were working hard to close Boro down, but Rob Saunders ghosted into the penalty area and looped a header just over the bar as they tried to hit back.

The prolific midfielder, fresh from scoring from the half way line on Thursday night, should have done better moments later, but could only volley Nic Ciardini’s clever header across goal over the bar.

Boro were lethargic, the usual crispness to their passing was lacking, and Uxbridge almost doubled their lead when Dennison was left unmarked again, but this time he could only head over.

They were hardly helped by the departure of skipper Leigh Rumbold, who hobbled off with an ankle injury. The knock does make him a slight doubt for the Hants Senior Cup final in two weeks’ time.

Boro did have a great chance to equalise before half time, when from Saunders’ brilliant whipped cross, Richardson somehow managed to head the ball away from goal rather than perform the seemingly easier chance of guiding it into the net. It summed up Boro’s half.

The second period was an even more turgid affair, with Boro seeing a lot of possession, but they were unable to do anything with it.

Even the arrival of last week’s hero Paul Harkness to a rousing reception from the fans couldn’t inspire Boro, who did at least manage a shot on target after 77 minutes, when Oliver’s tame long range effort hardly troubled Louis Wells in the Uxbridge goal.

Beazley saved well from Chris Drake at the death, but in truth a second Uxbridge goal couldn’t have dampened the fans spirits. It was little more than a celebratory stroll in the sun for Boro, and as the clock wound down everyone’s mind turned to getting their hands on the league trophy.

The final whistle thankfully brought an end to the rather disappointing proceedings, but as Boro were called back onto the pitch one by one to get their medals, and Clement and Rumbold lifted the trophy, the match was forgotten and Cherrywood Road partied again.

Boro: BEAZLEY, Hill, Oliver, Doyle, Evans, Rumbold (Bubb), Saunders, Ciardini, Richardson (Barima), Bartley, Wheeler (Harkness).

For a full match report, reaction from Clement, Theo and Rumbold, player ratings and more pictures of Boro lifting the trophy, pick up a copy of Tuesday's Farnborough Mail.

First printed in: Aldershot News and Mail