Bostik Premier: Haringey Borough 2 Brightlingsea Regent 1

Haringey Borough left it late again to keep pace at the top of the Bostik Premier with a 2-1 win over Brightlingsea Regent on Monday night.

After scoring twice in the final exchanges to clinch a 4-4 draw with Burgess Hill Town on Saturday, Tom Loizou’s men produced more late drama days later in N17.

Things didn’t start well for the second-placed hosts’ as Billy Jones fired Regent ahead in the eighth minute.

Brightlingsea’s forward was afforded too much time outside the area and curled home via the post.

Loizou’s team responded positively and had a couple of penalty appeals turned down in the first half while David Olufemi, Ralston Gabriel and Femi Akinwande failed to make the most of decent openings.

It remained 1-0 at the break, but Borough laid siege to the visitors’ goal following the restart with Akinwande and Mark Kirby squandering good chances.

Haringey made their first change with 67 on the clock when Anthony McDonald was introduced for Rakim Richards and four minutes later they levelled.

Michael O’Donoghue got forward well and found Kirby, who was denied by James Bradbrook, but Gabriel was on hand to smash home the equaliser.

With the Essex outfit tiring, it was all about if Borough could grab the three points and Loizou made more substitutions as Ricky Sappleton and Coby Rowe came on.

But Regent nearly secured the points themselves in the second minute of stoppage time when they hit the crossbar through Billy Jones and Harrison Banner fired wide with the goal at his mercy from a few yards out.

It would prove crucial as with time almost over, Gabriel picked up the ball around the halfway line, dribbled past three players and found Sappleton, who fired in the winner from six-yards to spark wild scenes at Coles Park in front of 341 spectators.

After being inches away from a defeat, Haringey had finished another game in style to make it two games unbeaten in the division.

Borough are back level on points with leaders Dorking Wanderers now, but the pace-setters do play this evening away to Margate.