BGB Southern Premier

Farnborough 1 Hemel Hempstead Town 0

Only a fantastic goalkeeping display from Farnborough’s Lyall Beazley ensured his side took all three points from their Bank Holiday clash with Hemel Hempstead Town at Cherrywood Road.

The young stopper made two brilliant saves to preserve Boro’s narrow lead, and then capped them with a 94th minute penalty save to secure the victory.

Beazley’s heroics aside, it was a disappointing effort from Francis Vines’ men, and one that was in stark contrast to the dominant performance they put in to beat Tiverton Town two days earlier.

In Devon, Boro controlled proceedings from the off, and although they were in charge and ahead by the break against the Tudors, they failed to push on afterwards in the second half.

As the game wore on at 1-0, the visitors began to crank up the pressure on the home defence, and when Boro did create chances to seal the win, they were squandered.

Still, a victory against one of the last few sides in the league with an unbeaten record is hardly a bad result, and thanks to Michael Charles’ third goal of the season, they now sit in second place in the BGB Southern Premier, with ten points from four games.

After the game Vines was full of praise for his keeper, but far from happy with such a below par performance.

“Lyall has pulled off three wonderful saves today and that has got us the points,” he said. “He kept us ahead with a great save at the end the first half and then he made another brilliant save and obviously kept out the penalty as well. Saving the penalty was in the end as good as scoring a goal.

“We looked a bit tired today, and it wasn’t a good display. We were caught on the ball too often and were open to the counter attack too often. People were running off us and we lost our discipline and shape, and our intelligence to be honest.

“As good as it was on Saturday, it was as poor today, but at the end of the day it was the same result — a win."

Vines made just one change from the Tiverton triumph, with Nic Ciardini getting the chop at left back, replaced by Ian Oliver, to take on a Tudors side that had taken seven points from their first three games.

The visitors started brightly and forced two early corners, but Boro then took control of the game, and Charles headed just wide after Darren Wheeler had cruised past two players.

Boro seemed in command but they enjoyed a huge let off after 12 minutes, when Steve Wales curled a freekick into the penalty area. Beazley missed the ball and it fell to Harry Hunt just inches from the gaping net. However the striker took an age to get it under control, and somehow Adam Doyle was able to get back and clear the danger.

After that reprieve Charles and Doyle both went close to opening the scoring, flashing headers over the bar, before a sublime pass from Ryan Scott set Charles free, only for him to lose the ball under his feet.

Rob Saunders then planted a precise freekick straight on Doyle’s head, but the centre-back could only head wide. Boro were knocking on the door, however, and the goal came just three minutes before the break.

Mark Gamble beat Mark Coulson for pace down the right and fired in a low cross. Charles was quickest to react as he slid in with Hemel’s goalkeeper Ian Brown and Adam Martin, forcing the ball over the line to open the scoring.

Buoyed by the goal, Boro almost doubled the lead seconds later when Saunders crashed an effort against the bar from the edge of the area, but they were almost undone in stoppage time when Chris Herron broke free and his powerful drive was brilliantly turned away by Beazley.

The second half began with an anxious moment, when Gamble went down in a heap after clashing with Simon Sweeny.

After all the striker’s injury problems last season it was a worrying sight to see him stretchered off, but after heading straight to hospital a scan revealed that there were at least no broken bones.

Marcus Richardson came on in Gamble’s place, fresh from his brilliant headed goal in the win over Tiverton, and he found Wheeler in space on the left after 68 minutes. The winger hung a cross up to the back post and Leigh Rumbold arrived late in the box but could only head wide as Boro looked for a second goal.

But that goal never materialised. Too often the final pass went astray. As the game moved into the closing stages, with Boro just a goal up, nerves began to set in as Hemel started to force the issue.

With 90 minutes on the clock the vistors came close to an equaliser, when the ball fell to Herron on the box. His low drive took a wicked deflection and flew towards the top corner, but Beazley managed to change direction and turn the ball over the bar one-handed in dramatic style.

The drama continued into stoppage time as Boro then wasted a golden chance to wrap up the points when Dave Woozley played the ball through to Charles in the box. He initially seemed to think he was offside, but when the flag stayed down he attempted a lob over his shoulder and Brown easily held the tame effort.

Worse was to follow seconds later, as a long ball into the box was almost Boro’s undoing. Doyle, who minutes earlier had been announced as the man of the match, gave Chris Dillon the slightest nudge and the Tudors’ striker went down as though he had been beheaded. It was a little harsh but the referee pointed to the spot without a moment’s hesitation and it was left to Beazley to defy Steve Bateman’s side once more.

Substitute Jon Stevenson stepped up but Beazley dived to his right to make the save, receive the adulation of his team-mates and keep up Boro’s 100% home record.

Next up for Vines’ men is another long trip, this time to Worcester as they take on Evesham United on Saturday.

Boro: Beazley, Ray, Oliver, Doyle, Woozley, Rumbold, Wheeler, Scott (Laidler 66), Saunders (Ciardini 80), Gamble (Richardson 50), Charles.

Hemel Hempstead: Brown, Sweeney, Coulson, Martin, Bowden-Hasse, Deeney, Wales (Sinclair 75), Herron, Dillon, Hunt (Sippetts 30), Edgeworth (Stevenson 45).

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