2024-25 Sporting Bengal Vs Concord Rangers
📢 MATCH REPORT:
Sporting Bengal 2-2 Concord Rangers
Isthmian League North Division
Saturday 19 October 2024
Mile End Stadium
BENGAL LEAVE IT LATE!
Just two seasons ago, four divisions separated these two sides, with Sporting Bengal in Step 6 and Concord Rangers in the National League South. Today, at Mile End Stadium in the heart of East London, marked the first-ever meeting between the two teams. And it did not disappoint!
Concord Rangers began the game on the front foot, pressing Sporting Bengal from the start. Freddy Tandon headed one of the line for Bengal but the visiting team’s early dominance was rewarded in the 21rd minute when a well-delivered cross from the right was met by Simo Mbonkwi, who powered in a header to give Concord a 1-0 lead. Bengal found it hard to get a foothold, and the visitors carried their one-goal advantage into the break.
However, the second half saw a different Sporting Bengal side emerge. Showing more fight, aggression, and hunger, they pinned Concord back and were soon rewarded for their efforts. In the 51st minute, Joe Gregory latched onto a loose ball, took it down expertly, and fired a low shot across the keeper into the bottom left corner. 1-1.
But Concord responded 13 minutes later. Sporting Bengal failed to clear their lines from a scramble inside the box, and after several attempts, the ball was finally bundled in by the Concord captain, Lewis Jaggs, to give the away team the lead.
Despite falling behind again, Bengal kept pushing for an equaliser. Manager, Steve Clark, made some key substitutions that brought fresh energy, none more influential than Jay Knight. Deep into injury time, a Carvell through ball picked out Knight who could’ve quite easily had a shot on goal but showed great vision to square it across the six yard box to find Daniel Pepple, who smashed it into an empty net in the 96th minute to send the home fans wild!
A 2-2 draw was a fitting result after a hard-fought contest, with Sporting Bengal showing remarkable resilience to come back twice. A great result and a deserved point against a strong Concord Rangers side.
