Rugby Borough bow out of FA Trophy
Rugby Borough’s debut in the FA Trophy ended in disappointment as they fell 3-2 away to Sutton Coldfield Town, bringing an early close to their involvement in this season’s FA competitions.
With three new signings in the starting lineup and two others having featured in midweek, it was always going to be a challenging afternoon against a well-drilled Sutton side. Matters worsened for Borough inside the first five minutes when left-back Danny Fraser was forced off through injury. Makeshift centre-back Lewis Wilson, who has experience in the role, came on to fill the gap.
Sutton took full advantage of the disruption, opening the scoring from a corner. Borough keeper Ganley failed to deal with the delivery, and Sam Smith pounced on the loose ball, firing into the roof of the net. The hosts continued to press and doubled their lead soon after when Gibson rifled home another effort high into the net.
Borough eventually settled and created chances of their own. Brad Stretton and Tendai Daire both went close before Stretton produced a moment of quality just before the break. A mazy run saw him beat two defenders before slotting into the bottom corner to give Borough hope.
After the restart, Rugby looked for an equaliser, but Sutton remained the more threatening side. Their pressure paid off when McGrady curled a superb strike beyond Ganley to restore the two-goal cushion.
Substitutions offered Borough renewed impetus, with Burgess and Kohyrelon introduced to inject fresh energy. Stone then had two good chances—one flying over the bar, another blocked by a defender—before finally making his mark in the 85th minute. A slick one-two with Burgess on the edge of the area allowed Stone to fire in off the post and reduce the deficit to 3-2.
Despite late pressure, Borough couldn’t fashion a clear opportunity to level, and the final whistle confirmed an early exit from the competition.