4:56pm Wednesday 4th April 2012
Roland Namquita’s 75th-minute strike settled an entertaining game and earned Haringey Borough a 1-0 win at London Tigers in the South Midlands Premier Division.
With Aylesbury United losing at Harefield United, Borough re-established their five-point lead in the battle for fourth and fifith places ahead of their trip to Aylesbury on Saturday.
A much-changed Borough team with only one substitute and some players forced to play out of their usual positions took time to settle but Tigers were quickly off the mark and forced a crucial early diving save from keeper Ryohei Tamai. He pushed a low shot sideways but when it was quickly retrieved and driven low across a crowded six-yard box, it was astonishing that no one got a touch to it open the scoring.
As the half wore on, Borough came more into the game without giving home keeper Christian Baffour any serious tests.
Ross Dedman and Charles Douse established a firm grip in the centre of the Borough defence, with Daniel Walker and Cedric Lakole on either side of them offering solid support. But a curling Lakole free-kick from the left which was acrobatically hooked off the line was the closest Borough came to scoring.
After the even opening half, it was Borough who dominated the second period in terms of possession and goal attempts. Two efforts were cleared off the line and a number of good chances were squandered.
Just when it looked like a goalless stalemate might be the outcome, Namquita pounced as the ball ran loose in the area, turning quickly to poke it home through Baffour’s legs.
Baffour was by far the busier keeper and one save when he tipped over a Lloyd Opara piledriver was outstanding.
Tamai too made a similar save to his opening contribution and again the loose ball was smashed dangerously and low across the goalmouth without being turned home. But otherwise he was not called upon for any exceptional stops and dealt comfortably enough with everything which came his way.
Shortly after the goal, a Tigers player was injured and having used all their substitutes, they were forced to play the game out a man short. Borough always looked the more likely scorers thereafter, with their own goal never being in serious peril.
Haringey Borough: Tamai; Walker, Lakole, Clarke, Dedman, Douse, Loizou (Kanteh), Obeng, Namquita, Opara, Stratis.
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