Bishop’s Stortford 1-0 Hornchurch Match Report

Bishop’s Stortford 1-0 Hornchurch Match Report 11/9/21

 

Bishop’s Stortford picked up their first Pitching In Isthmian League Premier Division win of the season, with a 1-0 victory over Hornchurch. Frankie Merrifield scored the only goal of the match in the second half, having seen his first half penalty saved by ex-Blue keeper Joe Wright.

 

Ex-Blue defender Rickie Hayles had the first chance of the match with a looping header from Liam Nash’s free kick, but it looped harmlessly to Jack Giddens in the Blues goal. Jake Cass held up the ball and then played through Ryan Charles, who cut in and forced a low save by Wright, before Sam Higgins – who scored a hattrick in an FA Cup replay in midweek – dragged his shot wide. Higgins then crossed to the back post towards Mickey Parcell, but Sam Robbins – celebrating his 100th Blues appearance in this match – headed clear. Charlie Ruff fired wide from a tight angle after Nash’s through ball, and Cass forced Wright into a clearance out for a throw-in with an energetic high press being enforced by the Blues. Joe Christou had a long range effort but it was always rising and went high over the crossbar, before Jonny Giles whipped in a beautiful cross into the danger area with Wright only half punching it away, but his defenders bailed him out and cleared their lines. Ronnie Winn upended Anthony Church in the box for a certain penalty, and Merrifield fired powerfully down the middle but Wright was equal to it, and Church was unable to control the ball for a shot. Giles crossed from the left towards Charles in the middle with the Blues finishing the half strongly, but the winger’s header was off target.

 

HT 0-0

 

Five minutes into the second half Merrifield had clearly forgotten about his penalty miss, when he nodded home a looping header from Charles’ right-wing cross to break the deadlock. Christou headed wide from a right wing cross, before Giles shot from a long range free kick when it  looked like he had set up to cross. Wright punched it away and Hayles could only head behind for a corner. Jimmy Wallace, who came off the bench as an early substitute for Mark Haines, looked assured and composed at the back, but was required to clear off the line from a corner, and Cass shot low from a tight angle but Wright made the save. From the next attack, Cass played Charles through for a one-on-one with Wright, he went round the keeper but took it too wide and he had to lay it off to Cass who shot over the bar. The best chance for the Urchins equaliser came late on, falling to Higgins, but he fluffed his lines in front of goal from Hayles’ knockdown, and tamely side-footed it to Giddens.

 

FT 1-0

 

The Blues travel to Brightlingsea Regent in league action on Tuesday before hosting Bowers & Pitsea in the FA Cup Second Qualifying Round on Saturday.

 

TEAMS

Blues XI

1 Jack Giddens

3 Archie Edwards

4 Anthony Church

5 Sam Robbins

6 Ryan Henshaw (c)

7 Jonny Giles

9 Jake Cass (Sub Thomas 78’)

10 Frankie Merrifield (Goal 50’)

14 Archie Jones (Yellow card 86’)

15 Ryan Charles (Sub Renee 72’)

17 Mark Haines (Sub Wallace 7’)

Subs

8 Johnville Renee

11 Bobby Unwin

12 Jack Thomas

16 Charlie Allum

20 Jimmy Wallace

 

Hornchurch XI

1 Joe Wright

2 Mickey Parcell (Sub Statham 58’)

4 Jordan Clark

5 Rickie Hayles (c)

6 Oliver Muldoon

7 Joe Christou (Yellow card 77’)

8 Ronnie Winn (Sub Buyabu 58’)

9 Sam Higgins

10 Liam Nash

11 Ellis Brown

16 Charlie Ruff (Sub Dickson 65’)

Subs

12 Jili Buyabu

13 Finley Thackway

17 Maxwell Statham

18 Lewwis Spence

19 Chris Dickson

 

Attendance 351

By Hamish Arnold