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Horsham 0-2 Bishop’s Stortford Match Report 24/9/22
Bishop’s Stortford were briefly top of the league but finish the day in third in the Pitching In Isthmian League Premier Division with a 0-2 win at Horsham. Late winners for Hornchurch and Potters Bar Town meant they leapfrogged the Blues into first and second respectively. It’s three consecutive wins and clean sheets for Stortford, with goals for Matt Johnson and Frankie Merrifield.
Harvey Sparks ran from left back to the edge of the box, his right footed shot was the first of the match but couldn’t find the target. Merrifield – standing in as captain with Ryan Henshaw and Sam Robbins sidelined – glanced a header from Jonny Giles’ free kick just wide, before Lucas Rodrigues shot low from a tight angle, forcing a save from Jack Giddens at his near post. Tom Day thought he had opened the scoring with his back post header from a right wing corner, the Hornets fans in the main stand were celebrating before they saw the outstretched glove off Giddens tip the ball away from danger. Rodrigues’ low cross was into a dangerous area but no teammate could apply the finishing touch in the six-yard box, before he fired wide, skipping past the challenge of Harry Beadle but was unable to test Giddens. Tosin Olufemi’s clearing header rebounded off Jack Thomas’ back and into the path of Tom Day, who fired wide from 18 yards. Donell Thomas controlled the ball from Merrifield’s flick round the corner, but was flagged offside and he took the shot. John broke the deadlock on 39 minutes, Giles whipped in a beautifully flighted corner, it curved and dipped to the make-shift defender in the six yard box who side-footed home into the bottom corner. Donell Thomas should have doubled the lead as he ran through one-on-one, but Mitchell Beeney pushed the ball away from the striker’s feet and he was back in position to save the subsequent shot. Beadle won the header at the back post, and Donell Thomas’ close range shot was blocked on the line. Jack Mazzone ran on to a long ball and tried to chip the onrushing Giddens, but the keeper stretched to his full height to preserve the clean sheet on the stroke of half time.
HT 0-1
Merrifield slipped as he let fly from Olufemi’s pass, before the striker was required to head clear from Bobby Price’s free kick, Sparks’ long range strike was wide of the goal. Jay Porter’s quick throw down the line to Jack Thomas was quickly whipped into the box, Merrifield turned the defender superbly and slotted home from eight yards for 0-2, his eighth goal in 10 games this term. Home fans celebrated after a scramble in the box but a goal line blocked soon put a stop to the jubilation, with Johnson clearing the loose ball. The Hornets turned up the pressure with another last ditch clearance off the line, Johnson again hooking the ball away from danger, before Rodrigues hit the inside of the left post from 25 yards with Beadle clearing the rebound. Giles’ free kick hit the top of the cross bar with Beeney beaten in goal, and his low cross evaded Chris Harris and Darren Foxley forced a save with his strike. Mo Juwara’s shot from a tight angle on the right deflected off Beadles’ leg and onto the crossbar before Olufemi cleared, and Jack Brivio’ curling effort looked as though it might dip into the net, but Giddens backtracked to keep his third consecutive clean sheet.
FT 0-2
TEAMS
Horsham XI
1 Mitchell Beeney
2 Chris Sessegnon
3 Harvey Sparks
4 Charlie Bell (Cocoracchio 56’)
5 Tom Day
6 Bobby Price
7 Lucas Rodrigues
8 Jack Brivio (c)
9 Jack Mazzone (Juwara 83’)
10 Daniel Ajakaiye
11 Shamir Fenelon (Dsane 72’)
Subs
12 Alex Malins
14 Luca Cocoracchio
15 Tom Kavanagh
16 Mo Juwara
17 Eddie Dsane
Blues XI
1 Jack Giddens
2 Jay Porter
7 Jonny Giles
8 Matt Johnson (Goal 39’)
10 Frankie Merrifield (c) (Goal 56’)
11 Tosin Olufemi (Yellow card 60’)
12 Jack Thomas (Yellow card 53’)
15 Ryan Charles (Harris 81’)
18 Ollie Peters
19 Harry Beadle (Yellow card 62’)
20 Donell Thomas (Foxley 69’)
Subs
9 Chris Harris
14 Darren Foxley
16 Charlie Allum
17 Mark Haines
Attendance 947
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