2/4/2008

Sport

Boro ease to cup win to set up Town showdown

by Chris Harris

FARNBOROUGH can look forward to an end-of-season clash with some familiar faces after easing to victory over United Services Portsmouth in the Hampshire Senior Cup semi final on Tuesday night.

They will meet Conference South rivals Basingstoke Town in the final at Bournemouth’s Fitness First stadium on Saturday May 10, in a match that will see them take on a handful of players who plied their trade at Cherrywood Road last year, in what was the final season for Farnborough Town.

The likes of Michael Charles, Steve Laidler, Tyrone Smith, Ben Townsend and Sean Hankin all joined Town after leaving Boro in the summer and will be keen to impress against their old side.

Boro’s current crop of players, who need two more wins to secure the BGB Southern 1 South & West title, will be equally as determined to finish the season on a high note, and potentially clinch the league and cup double.

Boro boss Andy Clement said: “I’m pleased with a win and getting to the final. It’s good for the club, getting into their first final, and good for the fans.

“It will be a good day out, down at Bournemouth in May, and it has the makings of a good final on paper and we want to win it.

“With us going so well in the league — and we have another quarter final next week [against Fleet Town in the Aldershot Senior Cup] — there is still all to play for, which is what you want at the end of the season.”

The game itself was not much of a spectacle, even though those Boro fans who turned out at Cherrywood Road were treated to six goals.

Despite the prize on offer, Boro were so superior to their navy-based opponents that the game had the feel of a training ground excercise rather than a cup semi final.

Boro were in charge from the start thanks to Michael Bartley’s fourth minute goal, and it was clear that they could win the game without too much effort. With some huge league games to come, it was quite obvious that was the intention.

Boro’s superiority was in fact what allowed the Wessex Division 1 side to at least make the game interesting, giving rise to some circus-like defending that allowed Portsmouth to equalise twice in the first half.

Had Boro needed to win by ten they surely could have. But they didn’t, the need to win the game without picking up any unnecessary injuries was more telling, and in the end four goals more than sufficed.

Clement took the chance to play some of the squad members who have been on the fringes in recent week, making six changes from the side that thrashed Andover on Saturday.

Justin Gray started in goal, Rob Marshall and Adam Theo came in at the back, Aaron Wise and Michael Barima played in midfield and Paul Harkness led the line up front with Bartley. 

But despite the changes it was still a strong line up, and that showed after just four minutes when Boro took the lead. Theo played a nice ball over the top and suddenly Bartley was clean through, finishing emphatically into the top corner.

It was a decent assist for Theo in his first game for the new club. It means his season has now gone full circle, after he originally agreed to stay on in the summer from last year’s squad.

He was then deemed surplus to requirements at the start of the campaign, although Boro retained his registration and after playing much of the campaign at Northwood, he is now back in the Boro squad for the title run in.

Having taken the lead Boro were in total control, but slack marking from a Tom Grice freekick allowed the visitors back into the game. Mark Collis’ looping header dropped into the back of the net to level the scores after 14 minutes.

The surprise of conceding an unlikely equaliser irritated Boro and they took just three minutes to regain their lead.

Rob Saunders drilled a low through ball for Bartley to chase and he was brought down by US Portsmouth keeper Nathan Ashmore. Saunders stepped up and crashed the resulting penalty home for his 20th goal of the season.

After that brief flurry the intensity dropped once more, and Boro soon conceded again, in comical fashion.

Boro failed to deal with a cross just inside the area and as Barima tried to hack the ball clear, he only succeeded in slicing it wildly and rolling a low effort past Gray to the disbelief of all in the ground.

But, in spite of the defensive mishaps, Boro were always likely to score again, and four minutes before the break Bartley broke through again.

This time he was chopped down by Glen Stock in the penalty area, as the visitor’s defence were unable to live with the powerful striker’s pace and strength.

Referee Mackrell’s rather fishy decision to award a corner was hastily changed to a second spot kick, which Saunders tucked away with ease, and Boro went in at the break with their noses in front.

The second half was a turgid affair, played at pre-season pace, and only the speed of substitutes Byron Bubb and Darren Wheeler in the last 20 minutes livened up the proceedings.

It was Bubb who sealed the victory, latching on to Saunders poked pass and calmly slotting past the keeper for his side’s fourth goal, and only his second since his January move from Burnham.

Doyle did have the ball in the net late on, only for it to be ruled out by the linesman, but in truth the final whistle could not come soon enough and Boro stroll on to the final.

Boro: Gray, Marshall, Theo, Doyle, Oliver, Wise, Barima (Bubb), Saunders, Ciardini, Bartley (Rumbold), Harkness (Wheeler).

For a full match report, player ratings and more reaction from Clement, pick up a copy of Friday's Farnborough News.

First printed in: Aldershot News and Mail