FIRST HALF - REDS IN FRONT
The first real chance of the game went the way of United, as Nathaniel Junior Brown broke into the penalty area on the right-hand side. The no.7 played a low ball into the path of Louie Bradbury, who struck a first-time effort off the crossbar.
Boro responded with a chance of their own in the ninth minute, when Listowell Lord Hinneh jinked into space on the edge of the 18-yard box, before firing a shot straight at Fred Heath, who produced a comfortable save.
Dan Armer then drove forward, before being fouled on the edge of the area, setting up Gabriel for a dangerously placed set-piece. The schoolboy forward stepped up and rifled a brilliant effort into the top left corner of the net to put his side ahead with 12 minutes on the clock.
The hosts looked to get back on level terms, when a well-taken corner found the head of Hinneh inside the area. However, the Boro man couldn't get the power required to find the back of the net, allowing Heath to claim.
Lucas Harrison forced Heath into a good save, with seven minutes of the half remaining, as he drove to the edge of the area and dispatched a venomous effort on goal, which United’s no.1 did well to tip over the bar.
The resultant corner posed danger when Ollie Martin managed to head back into the six-yard box following a deep ball to the back post. Front-man Lucca Kakai was there to meet the ball, but couldn’t force it home as United managed to get it clear.
Rob Jones’s men continued to apply pressure to the backline as the first half wound down, as Will McPartland managed to find Harrison on the edge of the area, who saw his effort deflected wide.
United once again struggled to clear their lines from the set-piece, this time paying the price. The inswinging ball bobbled around in the penalty area, before being smashed home by the ever-dangerous Hinneh from close range to level the scores, with three minutes of the half left to play.
It looked as if the sides would go into the break level, until Gabriel found space on the left-hand side to drive into the penalty area and flash a low ball across the face of goal. Boro’s captain, Martin, connected with the cross first and looked to clear, only for his kick to smash off the back of Logan Edmundson and ricochet into the net.