Borbury suffer narrow opening day defeat

Borbury FC – 3

Dunloy Reserves – 4             

(Coleraine & District League – Morning Championship - Saturday 17th August 2024)

The opening day of the 2024/25 season saw newly promoted Borbury take on experienced Championship side Dunloy Reserves, who narrowly missed out on second place in last season’s campaign. 

The first half proved to be evenly balanced with Dunloy quickly settling into an early passing rhythm before the Borbury Boys started to match them in terms of physicality and tempo.  Growing into the game, it was the home side that created the clearest chance when full back Jack Heron drove forward courtesy of great link-up play with winger Ben Diamond which quickly found Heron free in the opposition box and able to fire off a low shot that looked goal-bound.  Much to the home side’s dismay, Dunloy’s Goalkeeper Jonathan Holland produced a great save to deny Borbury and leave it all even at 0-0 at the half time interval.

While the first half was devoid of goals, the second half proved to a veritable goal fest.  The goals began flowing on the 50th minute mark when Dunloy’s Holland took a free kick deep in the visitors’ own half that saw the resultant kick carry two-thirds of the pitch and evade Borbury’s stand in Goalkeeper Ryan McAulay to make it 1-0 when a wicked bounce saw the ball skip off the surface to career into the top left corner.  To his credit, McAulay who was only drafted into goal fifteen minutes before kick-off, produced a solid performance with some excellent handling under pressure.  

Showing the resilience and character we have come to expect from Borbury, the Boys stuck to the task and continued to be dangerous in attack while coming closer each time to breaking their duck, coming closest when Diamond headed just over.  With Logan Farrelly growing into the game, Ronan Lynn almost capitalised from a superb Farrelly cut back on 63 minutes.  Three minutes later Borbury’s Euan McBride produced an electrifying run, driving at the heart of the visitor’s defence only to be upended and have the subsequent penalty shout waved away. 

Keen to freshen up the attack, Borbury introduced debutants Adam Beck and new signing Joe Diamond to almost immediate effect, only for Dunloy’s to counter swiftly on 70 minutes which saw the visitors break down the right to produce an excellent cross which Damien Hollinger cooly headed home for 2-0.  On 75 minutes, Dunloy’s compounded Borbury’s misery by adding a third to establish an almost unassailable 3-0 lead when a long ball over the top found wily Brendan McGarry who finished superbly into the left-hand side of the net.

Undeterred and determined to make an impact in the last 10 minutes, Borbury’s management team introduced Victor Mura and a third debutant in Gavin McBride.  Within a minute, a resurgent Borbury attack saw forward Beck steal onto a long ball from Farrelly to use his pace to round the keeper and provide a top-class finish from what seemed an impossibly a tight angle on 81 minutes for 3-1.     

Suddenly Borbury tails were up and the home side quickly pressed forward heaping more pressure onto the Dunloy back line and soon, which saw Farrelly win a penalty from a Beck tap on.  Farrelly confidently assumed responsibility, stepping up to cooly convert into the bottom right corner to make it 3-2 with 85 minutes played.

With all to play for, Borbury continued to crank up the pressure, attacking at will to find that elusive equaliser which arrived on 88 minutes when the excellent throughout Aaron Murray slid a slide rule pass into the dangerous Beck who smashed the ball into the top right corner of the net to draw the contest level at 3-3.  With Borbury now in the ascendancy and a chance of securing all three points, Joe Heron entered the fray and quickly pinpointed incisive passes forward that asked questions of a tiring Dunloy defence.   

However, Borbury hopes were agonisingly dashed on 91 minutes when the Boys failed to deal with a long throw in from the visitors which resulted in a deflected shot that trickled its way into the back of the net to make it 4-3 to Dunloy who then saw the game out to secure a hard fought three points.   

While it was a tough pill to swallow conceding such a late winner, Borbury can take plenty of positives from the game and will have learned valuable lessons from their first Championship encounter against a quality Dunloy side who based on previous form will be in the title hunt this year again.  Borbury wish Dunloy all the best for the rest of the season. Next up for Borbury is a tough away fixture to Glebe Rangers Reserves at Riada Stadium on Saturday 24th August.  

Thanks to the Borbury supporters who turned out to support the Boys and to sponsors Promould Limited and LJs Tavern.  A special thanks to matchday ball sponsorship courtesy of Jamie McEldowney at JME Joinery – specialist joinery covering all NI.