As the Borough
party settled into their Nottingham hotel on Friday evening…there
was a degree of anxiety amongst club officials as news was
received from the Field Mill ground suggesting that the
game was in doubt due to continuous heavy rain….but
the fixture was given the thumbs up following a morning
inspection by referee …and the Priory Lane side set
out to add to an impressive start to their Blue Square Premier
campaign.
Eastbourne Borough produced a competitive
performance, but failed to extend a three match winning
sequence, but came away from Field Mill on the end of
a 3-1 defeat owing to defensive mistakes and an inability
to turn possession into creative chances.
The visitors started brightly with Matt
Crabb firing over the bar…and Allan Tait was unlucky
not to put Borough ahead in the tenth minute when he burst
into the Mansfield area, saw his shot beat keeper Paddy
Gamble but his effort rebounded off the post.
Borough were immediately punished at the
other end, as Matt Crabb failed to clear and gifted Jonathan
D’Laryea possession. He slipped the ball to Mark
Stallard who found space and blasted home for his sixth
goal of the new season.
On 18 minutes Darren Baker did well with
a diving header to clear a dangerous Alex Jeannin cross….and
Hook saved at the feet of Aaron O’Connor.
As the half progressed, Borough gradually
came back into the game…with Tait working well up
front…without really testing the home keeper.
The pacy O’Connor was a constant
threat during the first half, but Borough closed ranks
and appeared to be gaining in confidence…when the
Stags were allowed to extend the lead. A back pass from
Neil Jenkins bounced awkwardly for Hook, under pressure
from O’Connor, the keeper attempted to head clear
but the ball fell to Nathan Arnold who fired into the
net on 40 minutes with the keeper stranded.
Borough opened the second half with the
perfect response. Nathan Crabb pounced. He raced onto
a long ball upfield from Hook….and as Gamble attempted
to gather, Crabb rounded the keeper and stroked the ball
home to reduce the arrears. The goal stunned the Stags,
as Borough upped the tempo….but despite the majority
of possession, a spirited fight-back was not enough to
create the breakthrough they deserved.
Tait, working tirelessly up front, went
close when he attempted a lob over Gamble, but the effort
cleared the crossbar. He was joined by Viktor Illugason
on 70 minutes….but Borough’s threatened equaliser
was not to be.
In fact, it was Mansfield who came close
to scoring when Hook attempted to collect a cross from
the right, and in the process collided with Marc Pullan.
The ball fell free to D’Laryea whose goalbound effort
was kick clear on the goal line by Ben Austin.
Then in the final moments, Town were awarded
a disputed corner….and to rub salt into the wound
the unmarked Matt Somner met Michael Blackwood’s
kick and glanced his header into the goal for a 3-1 winning
margin. Borough’s commitment in a fine second half
display deserved more.
Manager Garry Wilson commented, “We
have come away very frustrated, knowing that our levels
could have been better in the first half. We caused our
own problems and gave ourselves a mountain to climb in
the second half. I was pleased with the response in the
second half and felt at 2-1 the game was within our grasp.
We made few changes in the latter part of the game as
we chased an equaliser which left us exposed at times…but
overall we had a lot of possession and another day it
could have been very different.”
Words - Mike Spooner 
