Bishop’s Stortford 3-0 Potters Bar Town Match Report

Bishop’s Stortford 3-0 Potters Bar Town Match Report 16/4/22

Bishop’s Stortford set a new Club record for the longest time without conceding a goal in the 3-0 win at home to Potters Bar on Saturday, The previous record, which had stood since September 1993, was 999 minutes and seven goalless minutes was required against the Hertfordshire rivals to go past that, which is now an unbeaten 1083 minutes thanks to a 12th consecutive clean sheet. Having already secured their play-off place, the Blues took one step closer to making sure of a home semi-final and final should they get there, if second place in the Pitching In Isthmian League Premier Division can be maintained. The win against the Scholars was the seventh on the bounce for Stortford, who are unbeaten in the last 17.

It was a fast start for the visitors, who nearly scuppered the Blues’ chances of history with a back post header from a corner in the second minute, but he nodded wide. Just two minutes later and the Blues were in front through Ryan Charles. Jacques Kpohomouh’s clearance fell to Frankie Merrifield outside the box and he found Charles on the right side of the box and he slotted home from a tight angle. Merrifield then cut in off the right, and teed up Ollie Peters to shoot from 25 yards but his effort went wide. From Darren Foxley’s corner, Calvin Dickson nearly headed into his own net but saw it loop onto the crossbar and behind. Merrifield applied pressure to goalkeeper Kacper Kurylowicz and he could only clear as far as Foxley, who saw his low cross from the left blocked and cleared. Foxley’s free kick from the right wing was met by the head of Merrifield, but his effort was off target as he narrowly beat Kurylowicz to the ball as he came to punch clear. Jack Thomas’ long range strike looked to be dipping under the bar but a full length dive from Kurylowicz meant he could save the shot. Chris Harris, on for the injured Merrifield, doubled the advantage when he headed home into an empty net from Sam Robbins’ left wing cross, with Kurylowicz misjudging the flight of the ball. Dwight Pascal let fly from long range but it was a wild effort and off target. Charles’ half-volley strike from 35 yards had enough power but not the direction as it went high of the target, before an attempted chip by Peters from a tight angle was wide of the goal.

HT 2-0

Foxley’s powerful strike at the start of the second half narrowly missed the top corner, before he did find the back of the net, only for referee Nathan Oakes to disallow it for a foul in the build up. Charles fizzed in a low cross from the right and Dickson’s clearance could have gone anywhere from in the six yard box but he punted it out for a throw-in. Christopher Manangu headed over the bar unmarked in the box from Aaron Eyoma’s cross, before Harris’ volley was deflected behind for a corner after a cushioned header by Peters. The Blues wall blocked a free kick in a promising position, and the follow up shot by Eyoma was saved by Giddens. Robbins’ diagonal through ball found Jonny Giles just two minutes after coming off the bench and he chipped the ball over the onrushing Kurylowicz from 20 yards, with the ball landing on the goal line and bouncing up into the roof of the net. Harris’ looping header from Renee’s cross was caught by Kurylowicz, and Harris’ low shot from Thomas’ through ball was deflected just wide of the left post. Square pass from Giles to Charles, but he miscued the shot in the six yard box and it was blocked. Charles headed against the post from a right wing corner, and the clearance fell to Peters on the edge of the box, with his low shot saved at full stretch by Kurylowicz. Peters’ low cross found Harris in the middle but his shot was somehow saved when it looked easier to score from close range. Giles’ low cross-shot went through Harris’ legs and he couldn’t make contact to apply the finishing touch.

FT 3-0

The Blues travel to Hertfordshire rivals Cheshunt on Easter Monday, before the final game of the regular league season, at home to Cray Wanderers next Saturday 23 April.

TEAMS

Blues XI

1 Jack Giddens

5 Sam Robbins (c)

8 Archie Jones (Yellow card 29’) (Giles 60’)

10 Frankie Merrifield (Harris 28’)

11 Johnville Renee

12 Jack Thomas (Yellow card 55’)

14 Darren Foxley (Banton 67’)

15 Ryan Charles (Goal 4’)

16 Ollie Peters

17 Mark Haines

19 Billy Cracknell

Subs

3 Archie Edwards

7 Jonny Giles (Goal 62’)

9 Chris Harris (Goal 33’)

18 Jason Banton

20 Ryan Henshaw

Potters Bar Town XI

1 Kacper Kurylowicz

2 Dwight Pascal

3 Frazer Shaw (c)

4 Sam Cornish (Sassi 78’)

5 Jacques Kpohomouh (Parchment 13’)

6 Calvin Dickson

7 Isaac Ogundere

8 Tyler Christian-Law (Manangu 46’)

9 Aaron Eyoma

10 Joseph Boachie

11 Zakary Guerfi

Subs

12 Christopher Manangu

14 Amine Sassi

15 Corey Parchment

16 Hafed Al-Droubi

17 Max Delyfer

Attendance 458