Match Report
Bishop’s Stortford 2-1 Enfield Town Match Report 16/11/21
Bishop’s Stortford beat second-placed Enfield Town 2-1 at home on Tuesday night, with Johnville Renee scoring a 96th minute winner in the Pitching In Isthmian League Premier Division match. It extends the Blues unbeaten run in all competitions to nine matches, with all three goals came after 80 minutes, with Jake Cass opening the scoring before Nathan Smith’s equaliser.
Ben Marlow had the first chance of the match, when he headed wide in the fourth minute from Jonny Giles’ cross, before Jack Thomas made a run into the box to meet the flicked header from Ryan Charles, but Nathan McDonald rushed out of his goal to dive on the ball at the midfielder’s feet. Lyle Della-Verde saw his free kick go through the wall towards the bottom right corner, only for Jack Giddens to scramble across his goal to parry, and Muhammadu Faal fired wide the rebound. Della-Verde saw his low cross go into a dangerous area, but Lewis Taaffe couldn’t make any contact for a tap-in goal. Faal – the league’s second top goalscorer this season – had another chance soon after, but shot wide from a tight angle, as the Towners began to impose themselves on the game. But the Blues held firm, defending valiantly and also creating chances, as Ryan Henshaw headed just wide from a Giles corner, and Marlow shot wide with a long range effort. Anthony Church crossed from the right to Charles at the far post, but his header rattled the woodwork and went wide, and in the next attack, an over the top through ball bounced invitingly for Cass to attempt an early chip over McDonald, but the effort lacked height and the goalkeeper made the save. Della-Verde cut in off the right wing but his low shot was easily saved, before Faal dribbled from his own half into the Blues box, but with Mark Haines sending him wide, it forced a shot from a tight angle and he missed the target.
HT 0-0
After a defensive first period, the Blues were on the front foot for most of the second half, with more and better chances to break the deadlock. Giles saw his free kick from a wide position headed away and a follow-up cross was just too heavy for Cass or Marlow to meet with a header. Church saw his long range effort deflected wide for a corner, after a tackle high up the pitch. Della-Verde’s short free kick lay-off did not go as planned, with Andre Coker firing well wide, and a Blues free kick from Cass at the other end rebounded off the wall into the path of Sam Robbins who volleyed wide from the edge of the box. Giles dribbled past four players in a tight space on the right wing, with an outrageous display of close control and skill, but his shot was blocked. The introduction of Darren Foxley and Renee off the bench changed the game, when Robbins chipped the ball to Renee near the corner flag, his brilliant back heel flick set Foxley free into the box, and his attempted cross was blocked by an Enfield defender’s arm on its way through, and referee Lawrence Torz-Brown pointed to the spot immediately. Cass dispatched the spot kick down the middle, and was fortunate not to suffer a serious injury when McDonald tried to kick the ball back towards the centre spot, instead he caught the striker in the shin and was shown a yellow card, though he was perhaps fortunate not to see red. After a triple substitution, Enfield scored almost immediately following a Della-Verde corner into the six-yard box, Smith bundled home from close range, though Giddens had been shoved into the back of the net himself immediately before the equaliser, but the referee waved away claims that the goalkeeper had been fouled. Despite the match entering the fifth minute of the minimum five added, there was still a chance for the visitors to win it. When Faal cut the ball back to Della-Verde in space on the edge of the box, he could only shoot straight at Giddens. And from the goalkeeper’s punt upfield, Charles’ low cross from the left made its way through a crowd of defenders, for Renee to stab home on the goal-line, with euphoric celebrations from fans and players alike.
FT 2-1
The Blues are back in action at the R & D Advisors UK Stadium to host Wingate & Finchley on Saturday 20 November, before Leiston are the visitors in the FA Trophy Second Round on Saturday 27 November.
TEAMS
Blues XI
1 Jack Giddens
3 Archie Edwards
4 Anthony Church (Yellow card 23’)
5 Sam Robbins
6 Ryan Henshaw © (Yellow card 59’)
7 Jonny Giles (Sub Renee 79’)
8 Ben Marlow (Yellow card 49’) (Sub Foxley 69’)
9 Jake Cass (Goal pen 83’)
12 Jack Thomas
15 Ryan Charles
17 Mark Haines
Subs
2 Reiss Chandler
10 Frankie Merrifield
11 Johnville Renee (Goal 90+6’)
14 Darren Foxley
19 Jimmy Wallace
Enfield Town XI
1 Nathan McDonald (Yellow card 84’)
2 Jonathan Muleba
3 Ryan Kirwan (Sub Smith 85’)
5 Jeremiah Gyebi
6 Harold Joseph
7 Percy Kiangebeni (c)
8 Lewis Taaffe (Sub Chappell 85’)
9 Andre Coker (Sub Cook 85’)
10 Muhammadu Faal
11 Lyle Della-Verde
19 Emmanuel Maja (Yellow card 52’)
Subs
12 Rian Bray
14 Matthew Walsh
15 Nathan Smith (Goal 88’)
16 Lee Chappell
17 Luke Cook
Attendance 453
