A SECOND-HALF downfall meant Rugby Borough missed out on a Beacon Hill League Cup final berth after a disappointing 5-1 defeat at home to Hathern.
Defending champions Hathern took a 2-1 advantage into the break at Kilsby Lane, with Thomas Glasscoe’s goal keeping the hosts’ silverware hopes alive.
The visitors emerged with more purpose after the break though and were simply too hot for Borough to handle.
By the final whistle, both Liam Walton and Jake Davies finished with braces, while Liam Golding scored the other for the Leicestershire side.
It condemned the new management team of Tommy Young and Tom Wardle to their first defeat since arriving at the club in mid-February, ending an unbeaten run which had stretched to four games following Saturday’s 1-1 draw away to Desford.
Shaun Barber’s strike gave Rugby a narrow lead heading into half-time, only for Stephen Armson to equalise after the break as the game ended honours even.
The point keeps Rugby fourth in the Leicestershire Senior League Premier Division, two points behind third-placed Friar Lane & Epworth with three games in hand on their nearest rivals.
An intriguing clash, and perhaps the biggest test of the managerial credentials of Young and Wardle to date, now awaits on Saturday when Borough play host to runaway leaders Allexton & New Parks.
Rugby are one of only two sides to take points from their upcoming opponents, holding unbeaten Allexton to a 1-1 draw in December thanks to Jefferson Woodward’s second-half leveller.
