Broxbourne Borough suffered a heavy 5-0 defeat at the hands of Hillingdon Borough at the Middlesex Stadium, although the score-line didn’t tell the full story of what was a bizarre contest, containing 5 red cards, 4 of those being shown to Broxbourne Borough players. The attitude of a few Broxbourne players was disappointing, but there were also encouraging and battling displays from the players who remained on the pitch.

The contest began in rather lacklustre fashion, with Hillingdon having the majority of the possession without causing Boro’s defence any problems. However, Hillingdon created their first goal scoring opportunity of the contest after a slick exchange between Chris Baah and Daniel Mehmet, but Albert Bostock produced a well timed challenge to nullify the threat of Mehmet.

Neither side was looking particularly threatening although the hosts managed to carve out a half chance after 23 minutes after a purposeful run from Luke Eldridge. Eldridge played a dangerous ball across the area to Chris Drake, but he subsequently blasted his effort over the bar.

With 38 minutes played, Hillingdon Borough secured the lead through Daniel Mehmet, but Broxbourne were left seething as they were adamant that they should have been awarded a free-kick in the lead up to the goal. Despite this, Chris Drake produced a surging run, easing past three players before Junior Adeoye made an impressive close range save. Unfortunately for the Boro keeper, the ball fell to Mehmet, who coolly slotted the ball into the empty net.

In the aftermath of the goal, Broxbourne winger Jordan Watson received a second yellow card and was subsequently dismissed for dissent. This was a major blow for the visitors, making their aim of securing something from the encounter increasingly difficult.

The final chance of a rather tedious first period fell once again to Hillingdon, with the goal scorer Mehmet and Drake exchanging passes. Mehmet played through the imposing Drake but his powerfully struck effort was smartly saved by Adeoye’s feet. Therefore at the interval, Hillingdon held a slender 1-0 lead in what had been a frustrating first period, but the hosts’ one man advantage meant that they were in a commanding position.

The first 20 minutes of the second period were disastrous from Broxbourne’s perspective as they had a further three men sent off, leaving them with just seven players remaining on the field. After 50 minutes, Hillingdon’s Jamie Houliston seemed to strike Albert Bostock and consequently received a second yellow card. Bostock didn’t seem to react aggressively, but nevertheless, he received a straight red card, leaving Boro with just nine men on the field.

Then, with 55 minutes played, Dean Williams received a red card after his second yellow card for dissent which was a major source of frustration for Broxbourne Borough manager Geoff O’Vell. Williams was booked for a mistimed challenge in the first period, but he was dismissed after constantly complaining to the referee.

With Broxbourne down to eight men, it seemed ominous for the visitors but players such as Lee Bradshaw and James LAMPTEY were displaying tremendous concentration and discipline in an attempt to ensure the score line remained respectable.

With 67 minutes played, Broxbourne’s mammoth task was then made virtually impossible after Broxbourne midfielder Anthony Stockman was dismissed for a petulant kick out at a Hillingdon midfielder.

However, the remaining seven players on the pitch showed tremendous spirit and determination and they fought on bravely as they attempted to limit the damage. Hillingdon were now in complete control of possession but they were lacking penetration and struggled to break through Broxbourne’s depleted back four.

After 73 minutes, Hillingdon extended their lead to 2-0, quashing any faint hopes of a dramatic Broxbourne fight back. Broxbourne keeper Junior Adeoye audaciously attempted to dribble the ball out of his area but he misplaced his pass, allowing Adam Bunce to produce a nonchalant lob over Adeoye’s head, despite his best efforts, the keeper was unable to prevent the goal.

After 79 minutes, Hillingdon scored their third goal of the contest after a comprehensive finish by the talented Chris Baah. Lee Bradshaw cleared Jack Buckle’s cross, but only into the path of Baah, who dispatched his effort into the bottom corner. Broxbourne continued to battle but Hillingdon were piling forward and sensing blood, which resulted in Chris Baah securing a brace as he evaded the challenge of John Tikare before directing his effort past a helpless Adeoye.

After 85 minutes, Hillingdon secured the final goal of the contest.... one that many won’t forget in a hurry. The hosts brought on Gary Bray, who was a rather imposing figure to say the least. Bray went on a surging run which sparked fear (quite literally) into the Broxbourne defence, and his attempted effort was poorly struck, but fell into the path of Daniel Mehmet, who slotted the ball past Adeoye.

This proved to be the final action of an extremely disappointing afternoon for Broxbourne. The referee certainly made some debatable decisions, yet ultimately, unacceptable attitude and indiscipline from certain players was the catalyst for Broxbourne’s defeat. The man of the match award went to James LAMPTEY, who produced a really encouraging display in the face of adversity, maintaining his concentration, composure and discipline throughout the contest.

On Thursday evening, Broxbourne Borough face Royston Town in the Floodlit Cup Final at Garden Walk, where they must bounce back from this setback and produce a performance that displays the quality and potential that this side possesses. Earlier in the season, Broxbourne secured a 2-2 draw against the League champions at Garden Walk, so encouragement can be taken from that particular result and performance.

Reporter : Josh Gorton