The choice to make my first visit to the Mile End Stadium was a late decision on a rainy day. It’s always entertaining to watch fixtures in the Isthmian League (North) and today’s match up looked to be no different.

The Stadium seats 439 with a maximum capacity of 2000, and is a multi sports complex with athletics facilities as well as swimming pools and seven a side facilities. Blur once played live at the stadium in the 1990’s so it has quite a diverse sporting and cultural heritage.

Sporting Bengal United FC have made a poor start to their first season in the Isthmian League North Division, following their promotion from the Essex senior league in 2023-24, sitting in twenty first place with just seven points from their opening eight games. Manager Steven Clark would have been looking to top scorers, Joe Gregory (3 goals) and Brandy Makuendi (2 goals), to deliver results against an opposition who on paper should have out performed the home side today.

Concord Rangers FC have not made the impression this season that manager Rob Small would have been hoping back when the season began in August. The team sat in ninth place with fourteen points from nine games and needed a decent away victory away at Sporting Bengal today, to kick start their season. Goals so far this season have come from Anisius Lewis (8 goals), Amine Saadi (4 goals) and Christian Adu Gyamfi (2 goals).

In the 25th minute after some stubborn resistance by Sporting Bengal United, an error by left back Timi Joseph allowed Concord Rangers to break free resulting in a cross which ended up with Simo Mbonkwi finishing to send the visitors into a 0-1 lead.

With two minutes left the home side went very close after a lofted shot was almost finished at the far post. However at the break the sides went in with a single goal separating them.

In the 60th minute the scores were level when a rejuvenated Sporting Bengal United saw Joe Gregory fire home after breaking free of the Concord Rangers FC defenders.

In the 74th minute Concord Rangers were ahead again at 1-2. Their captain, Lewis Jaggs, followed up in the six yard box to deflate the energy of the home side.

Sporting Bengal United entered a barren spell when they seemed to lack a vision going forward. Then in the 90th minute + 6, Daniel Pepple tapped home to make it 2-2 and raise some noise from the crowd of 60.

At fulltime it was Concord Rangers who felt they had thrown away the three points , twice letting a lead slip. Sporting Bengal United will need to show the fight and commitment demonstrated today if they are to survive, as they lack someone with real composure in the middle of the field, when facing the level of opposition they will see regularly in this division.