23/3/2008

Sport

Incredible miss lets Boro off the hook

AN amazing miss by Uxbridge's Kevin Warner got Farnborough out of a sticky situation at Honeycroft on Saturday.
 
Level at 2-2 and deep into stoppage time Warner somehow shot wide from just six yards in front of a gaping open goal to spare Boro's blushes.
 
Goals from Nic Ciardini and Darren Wheeler saw Boro twice come from behind to take what could perhaps be a vital point in the race for the title.
 
Even better news followed the final whistle, as promotion rivals Didcot Town could only match Boro's score at home to Paulton Rovers. That means it is as you were at the top of the BGB Southern 1 South & West table, with Andy Clement's men eight points clear with seven games left to play.
 
Not that the Boro boss was happy with his side's display, although he was relieved to come away with something from the play off hopefuls.
 
"If we had lost I don't think we could have complained," he said. "They out-thought us on three occasions and scored twice. I don't know how they missed the chance at the end, so really I'm not happy.
 
"I think we passed it quite well and had a lot of possession, but although our attacking game was good in terms of clear cut chances we didn't create many. We worked hard and stuck to our passing game, and I think I would have taken a point here.
 
"With Didcot drawing as well they haven't caught us up at all, so I'm pleased with the result if not the performance."
 
Although Boro played well at times, falling behind after just four minutes put them under pressure from the off, and they didn't play as well as in their recent five game winning streak. They certainly will not want to see the two goals they conceded again, undone as they were by some quick thinking from Uxbridge, and some hesitant defending.
 
At this crucial stage of the campaign perhaps that was understandable, but one player who was on top form again was Wheeler, who terrorised the less than pacy Uxbridge back four whenever he had the ball.
 
"It's getting to the business end of the season and perhaps players are getting a little bit nervous," Clement said. "Players can get a bit tight and we haven't gone a goal down for a while.
 
"I always like the players to be bright and on their toes from the off, but we got caught out with both their goals, which is disappointing.
 
"But Wheeler was outstanding again. He has been brilliant all season and they couldn't handle him. I think they are probably still trying to untie their number six now, he beat him so many times."
 
Boro suffered a set-back even before the game had begun with Rob Saunders tweaking a hamstring in the warm up. Ciardini replaced him in an otherwise unchanged line up from the side that beat Marlow in mid-week, but the early set-backs were not finished there.
 
It was inevitable that former-Boro striker Neville Roach, who left Cherrywood Road back in January, would have some part to play in the game, and he had an almost immediate impact.
 
Former-Chelsea striker Mark Nicholls quickly slipped a free-kick down the right of penalty area and as the Boro defence was caught on its heels Roach was the beneficiary, slotting the ball under Lyall Beazley for the opener.
 
Boro soon responded from the early blow, and Wheeler came to the fore as he began to torment Uxbridge's somewhat overweight back line. After ten minutes he smashed a shot over the bar, before his corner was headed wide by former-Uxbridge player Luke Evans.
 
Wheeler then picked up Marcus Richardson's neat lay-off, but dragged his shot wide as he cut inside his marker.
 
After half an hour another Wheeler corner caused chaos in the penalty area and as Dave Woozley went down looking for a penalty, Michael Bartley saw two efforts blocked by some desperate defending.
 
Although Boro were on top, the home side almost doubled their advantage twice at the end of the half. First Roach slipped in David Warner who shot wide, and then Roach himself raced through but saw his effort smothered by Beazley to keep his side in the hunt.
 
The second half continued in much the same vein, with Wheeler instrumental in all Boro's best moments. His shot was blocked from Richardson's low pass, and then his cross picked out Leigh Rumbold, who laid the ball back to Adam Doyle, but the youngster's shot was turned away.
 
On 58 minutes Boro at last found the equaliser, Bartley slipped the ball to Wheeler who burst into the penalty area and pulled the ball back for Ciardini to calmly place the ball into the bottom corner.
 
Boro were perhaps guilty of becoming a little bit gung-ho as they poured forward in search of the winner, and they should have taken the lead when Evans headed down Wheeler's corner. The ball dropped to Rumbold but he could only crash a volley over the bar.
 
Rumbold missed another good chance when Wheeler roasted right-back Ian Dickens yet again and clipped a cross to the back post, which the midfielder could only head over the bar.
 
But on 75 minutes Boro fell to the ultimate sucker-punch. Uxbridge keeper Louis Wells booted a long ball forward and with Hill and Evans caught flat-footed, Nicholls raced through and thumped a stunning volley into the top corner for 2-1.
 
A sudden burst of driving hail signalled a crazy last ten minutes, with more action packed into it then most games see in a full 90.
 
Already booked for a clumsy challenge on Woozley in the first half, David Warner saw red after over-reacting in another clash with the Boro centre half, as Boro surged forward looking for a second equaliser.
 
With two minutes left on the clock, Ian Oliver slipped a ball to Bartley in the penalty area. He was clumsily brought down by the Uxbridge centre back to give the visitors a lifeline, and Wheeler calmly stroked home the resulting spot-kick to bring Boro level again.
 
There was still time for some stoppage time drama, when Doyle spun in the area and drilled a low shot across the goal that Richardson just couldn't stretch to reach.
 
But as Boro poured bodies forward another ball over the top found Nicholls again. This time he danced round Ryan Hill's tackle and as Beazley raced out, slipped the ball to the unmarked Kevin Warner. He had the simplest task to snatch all three points but unbelievably missed the target completely to save Boro from what would have been an undeserved defeat.
 
The point means that Boro are still unbeaten in their last six games ahead of tomorrow's crunch clash with neighbours Fleet Town at Calthorpe Park. (Kick off 3pm)
 
Fleet warmed up for the game with a 2-1 win at struggling Taunton Town yesterday, and will be keen to exact revenge on Boro for their 5-1 defeat on Boxing Day.
 
Boro: Beazley 6, Hill 5, Oliver 7, Evans 7, Woozley 7, Rumbold 6, Ciardini 6 (Barima 6), Doyle 7, Bartley 7, Richardson 6, WHEELER 9.
 
Attendance: 29

First printed in: Farnborough News and Mail