Bishop’s Stortford 0-3 Dagenham & Redbridge Match Report

Bishop’s Stortford 0-3 Dagenham & Redbridge Match Report 19/7/22

Bishop’s Stortford’s second pre-season friendly ended in a 0-3 defeat to a well-drilled Dagenham & Redbridge side. The Blues matched the visitors for intensity and work rate, but couldn’t find a finish in the final third, whereas the Daggers were clinical in front of goal, scoring twice late on as the superior fitness of a professional team shone through, perhaps flattering the National League outfit with the match much closer than the scoreline might suggest.

Ryan Charles failed to make a clean contact with a header from Jonny Giles’ right wing cross, instead heading back to Archie Edwards, who recycled the attack and passed to Charles on the left wing who won a free kick. Strizovic saved a low Giles shot from 20 yards after he cut in off the right wing, before Sam Robbins blocked a low cross from McCallum for a corner. Charles made a run into the box and chipped the ball to his opposite winger at the far post, as Giles cut the ball back to Chris Harris but Strizovic intercepted the pass. Charles fizzed in a low cross from the left and won a corner as Johnson flew across to defend, and at the other end, McCallum rose highest to head home from a left wing corner through a crowded six yard box. The forward nearly doubled his tally with another header, but nodded narrowly wide at the far post from the next corner kick. Robinson fired wide from a tight angle and late in the first half, Harris won the ball back high up on the right wing and passed to Anthony Church on the edge of the box, who took on the shot first time, but failed to find the target. On the stroke of half time, Giles’ right wing corner was flicked on by Church at the near ot towards a sliding Ryan Henshaw making a late run at the far post but he couldn’t make contact.

HT 0-1

Terrell Egbri crossed to Charles, who knocked the ball down to Darren Foxley, who took the ball wide and beat Strizovic, but only fired into the side netting. Ling broke through the defence and shot just wide with a low strike, Frankie Merrifield latched on to a heavy touch from Church, turned and shot early but Strizovic reacted well and made the save. Merrifield laid the ball off to Foxley but again, Strizovic was equal to it, getting behind the low shot. Jack Giddens saved well with his feet from Walker’s low shot in the box, and Foxley’s give and go with Egbri was denied by a brilliant flying block from a defender. Mussa soon doubled the Daggers’ lead with a powerful effort that wrong-footed Giddens via a deflection from 25 yards. Walker unleashed an on target strike but a diving Giddens denied him, before the keeper rushed out to deny a certain goal with number 25 running through one on one, but Giddens made himself big and clawed the ball away. Merrifield could only get a glancing contact on Foxley’s free kick and saw the ball go behind, before McCallum bagged a brace and his team’s third, bundling home from close range from a low cross through the six yard box.

FT 0-3

The Blues travel to Brentwood Town for a Friday night friendly on 22 July.

TEAMS

Blues XI

1 Jack Giddens

3 Archie Edwards

4 Anthony Church

5 Sam Robbins

6 Ryan Henshaw (c)

7 Jonny Giles

8 Matt Johnson

9 Chris Harris

11 Tosin Olufemi

15 Ryan Charles

16 Terrell Egbri

Subs

2 Jay Porter (Edwards 46’)

10 Frankie Merrifield (Harris 46’)

12 Jack Thomas (Johnson 46’)

14 Darren Foxley (Giles 46’)

17 Mark Haines (Olufemi 46’)

18 Charlie Allum (Church 80’)

19 Josh Demetriou (Charles 75’)

Dagenham & Redbridge XI

13 Strizovic

2 Hare (Longe-King 46’)

3 Onariase (Trialist 63’)

5 Johnson

7 Ling

8 Vilhete (Mussa 46’)

11 Sagaf

12 Robinson © (Lawson 79’)

19 Weston (Nkwonta 63’)

20 McCallum (Goal 28’ 81’)

27 Walker (Blair 71’)

Subs

Longe-King

Trialist

Mussa (Goal 72’)

Lawson

Nkwonta

Blair