Eastbourne fightback gets Bloor's men ready for a Borough v Borough FA Trophy clash

It could have been worse. After a grim 45 minutes and a 2-0 half-time deficit, Borough battled back, scored twice and escaped from Essex with a Desmond and a hard-fought point.

Borough’s record at Concord Rangers is pretty dreadful. Apart from a Gavin McCallum hat-trick in a canter of an August win about five seasons ago, the trip to the far end of Canvey Island has been more like a day out in Robben Island in recent years. Last season’s 0-5 surrender was the poorest Borough performance almost in living memory, and possibly the Damascus moment when Danny Bloor knew that his squad needed a total overhaul. This time, the salvaged point was actually creditable.

A few seasons back, clubs with a 3G pitch were thought to have some tactical advantage. Now, with artificial surfaces so common, a good old grass pitch – with all its bumps, clumps and skiddy bits, might be a bonus for a home club like Concord Rangers. The Essex club cannot control the weather, of course, but their Aspect Arena was not in great shape when the Sports arrived on Saturday lunchtime.

As the teams warmed up in the freezing rain – there’s a contradiction there somewhere – referee Walchester came out to bounce a ball or two, or more correctly, to drop a football and watch it squelch like a large pebble on a tide-washed Holywell beach. But heck, we had all turned up and nobody wanted a postponement.

As the afternoon unfolded, the pitch was clearly playable – but far from suited to the ping-ping-passing game which the Sports prefer. The Beach Boys - yes, that’s their official nickname – have a side built for strength and direct football, and unsurprisingly they dominated a first half which Borough would sooner forget.

With an injured James Vaughan missing for the first time this season, Bloor was forced into an unusual tweak of the line-up, Chris Whelpdale moving to the right-back slot which he has often filled at his previous clubs. Centre-backs Steve James and Mitch Dickenson looked solid, while Kai Innocent made several promising sorties up the left flank.

But the cluttered midfield was tough territory for James Ferry and James Hammond. Charlie Walker had returned up front alongside Charley Kendall, but the QPR youngster’s style is better suited to swift counter-punching and not to ploughing lone furrows. And while Dean Cox was his usual canny self on the left flank, Greg Luer was making no headway on the right and no more successful when he moved to play through the middle.

The half-time transformation was dramatic – but more of that later. Early exchanges had been even until, in the tenth minute, a Concord forward was tripped three yards outside the penalty area, to the left of goal. It was the next best thing to a penalty, except of course that you can put a defensive wall in the way…. but if Borough had the wall, Rangers had the Alex Wall, who blasted his kick through the four-man barrier and into the bottom right corner with Franco Ravizzoli beaten.

1-0 then, and a goal to be furious with. The Sports responded with a Cox free-kick, caught by keeper Adam Pryzbek, and an excellent run by Walker, dispossessing Tosan Popo in midfield and powering through the left channel to set up Kendall who, from an unfavourably narrow angle, smashed his shot into the side-netting.

Then, an embarrassing let-off for Concord by the officials. From Ravizzoli’s kick upfield, Kendall was incorrectly flagged offside as the ball was headed on. Pryzbek, dashing out, appeared to handle outside his area for what was at minimum a yellow card and arguably a red, since Charley was clear on goal. Referee Callum Walchester – a new name to Borough – deliberated, and then backed his linesman. On best available video evidence, it was a plain and simple error.

The rest of the first half was a write-off: only glimpses of goal for either side, and a yellow card for Chris Whelpdale - probably correct, but Mr Walchester’s decision was enhanced by the explosive raging ear-bashing which the Beach Boys seemed to have honed to perfection.

Borough’s nearest to an equaliser was a slick move between Cox and Luer, finished ingloriously with Kai Innocent’s angled shot over the bar. Then Walker drew a fine save from Pryzbek at the expense of a corner, from which Ferry’s shot was charged down.

Ah well, a single-goal deficit was probably not in the game plan, but a half-time shake-up would at least mean Borough were still in the contest. How about a two-goal deficit? The added-time board went up, showing two minutes – but we had played almost three minutes when Rangers doubled their lead. Jack Bridge swung in a cross from the left touchline, met by Lewis Simper, escaping the attentions of both centre-backs to nudge the ball in.

The away dressing room must have resembled a silent dentist’s waiting room. Or not. Bloor had already told his substitutes to stay out and warm up – and whatever the Gaffer’s words of wisdom, he and Sergio were about to change the game in every possible respect: attitude, personnel, tactics, shape and result.

On, for Luer and Kendall, came Joel Rollinson and Charlie Lambert. And what a difference. The game – especially in these conditions - would not be rescued by patience and triangular passing. Borough had to go for the jugular. Within moments both subs had been on the ball and within minutes they were terrorising the home defence.

Look at a striker, and you should always ask: how hard is he to play against? What questions does he ask of opposing defenders? Charlie Lambert must be a centre-back’s nightmare. Commitment, pace, physicality and, dare one add, unpredictability. And Joel has the directness and speed of a downhill slalomer.

Result: a Concord defence which had looked fairly comfortable was now in disarray. Rollinson left his man for dead and cut in to smash a slightly wild shot over the bar. Pryzbek saved from Hammond and Lambert, and the Sports won corners in quick succession.

And finally, on 64 minutes, the two substitutes got the break-through. Joel set off like a greyhound from half-way and fired a low shot for the back post – half-saved but smacked into the net by a triumphant Lambert. Game on.

Two more minutes, and Borough were level. Cox’s wicked left-wing corner swung into the near post where Whelpdale flicked it past the keeper. Game very much on.

Now, if this reporter were a script-writer, this report would be bringing you a dramatic winning goal for the Sports. It did not quite happen. Although the balance of the game had swung emphatically, and further chances came and went, the pace dropped. In truth, the pitch and conditions must have taken their toll, not to mention the relentless programme which sees these semi-pro teams hauling themselves up for two games a week in bleak weather.

So the final phase was a little bit anti-climactic. Alex Wall’s persistent penalty appeals finally earned him a yellow card for diving, and Concord had been found out. Only a point, but heck, it felt all the better for coming from behind – and an awful lot better than that 5-0 drubbing at the Aspect Arena on the last visit. The Sports, indeed, have come an awful long way in that time.

Borough: Ravizzoli; Whelpdale, James, Dickenson, Innocent; Luer (Rollinson 46), Ferry, Hammond, Cox (Folarin 89); Walker, Kendall (Lambert 46).

Unused subs: Blackmore, Glover. Borough MoM: Charlie Walker