Sporting Bengal 1 Tower Hamlets 2

An injury-time striker from O’Neal Rowe earned Tower Hamlets the spoils from their Mile End Stadium derby with Sporting Bengal last night.

The two neighbours met on the back of defeats in the Essex Senior League at the weekend, with Hamlets edged out 2-1 at home by Stansted, while Sporting slipped to a 2-0 loss at Basildon United.

And Ade Abayomi’s Hamlets had the better of the opening exchanges, with Sporting struggling to settle.

The home side took the lead on 20 minutes, though, with their first real attack of the night as Codey Cameron bundled the ball home from close range.

And Imrul Gazi’s men went close to a second when Kadir Jama struck the crossbar from a free-kick, before the visitors broke upfield and threatened on a counter-attack.

Hamlets keeper Jean Manata made a brilliant save low down to his left to deny Sporting a second, but his side should have been back on level terms 10 minutes before the interval when Ade Oreniake wasted a great chance at the far post.

Hamlets went close again after the restart as Rowe’s excellent effort was tipped over the crossbar by the returning Lewis Lockyer with almost an hour gone.

And it was all square on 64 minutes when Jhonatas Silas da Silva fired home a speculative effort from distance, catching Lockyer somewhat by surprise.

Hamlets had their tails up now and Yusuf Ali almost went through on goal, only for an unkind bounce to deny him a shooting chance.

And Rowe was then in with an opportunity to give his side the lead, but Lockyer produced a save to keep Sporting on terms.

The hosts thought they had regained the lead with seven minutes remaining, only to be denied by an offside flag.

And instead it was Hamlets who claimed all three points and the local bragging rights in the second minute of stoppage time as Rowe lifted the ball over Lockyer.

A second league victory of the season lifted Tower Hamlets into a mid-table position, ahead of their home match against Barking on Saturday.

Sporting, meanwhile, will now turn their attentions to their FA Cup first qualifying round tie at Kings Langle on Saturday, when they will be aiming to write another piece of history.

Sporting Bengal: Lockyer, Adeji, Vaughan, N Ahmed, Tandon, Ratambwa, Cameron, Hussain, Miah, Jama, Garcia. Subs: Rivera, Samad, S Ahmed, Rahman, Islam.

Tower Hamlets: Manata, Joao, S Sheymz, Oreniake, Atunda, Olanipekun, Rowe, Da Silva, Ali, Teberen, Ibrahim. Subs: Rui Pina, Z Sheymz, Earl, Abayomi, Adama Bamba.