BSFC 0-1 Chelmsford City
Bishop’s Stortford 0-1 Chelmsford City Match Report 12/9/20
Bishop’s Stortford’s pre-season campaign finished with an agonising 1-0 defeat to former local rivals Chelmsford City. The Clarets – who finished 10th in last season’s curtailed Vanarama National League South on points-per-game – were under pressure for the majority of the match, but nicked a winner when Adam Liddle converted from close range in the second half, after Alex Teniola saw his penalty kick saved before the break.
Darren Foxley started brightly, firing a low effort at goal, only to be parried by Lee Worgan, and Aaron Greene couldn’t shoot on the rebound. Sam Mvemba dug out a cross to Tom Richardson in the middle, but his volleyed effort went over the bar, before Richardson had a header saved easily by Worgan from Archie Jones’ free kick. Richardson won the ball high up the pitch, with City content with playing out from the back, though their tactic nearly backfired when the striker’s curling effort looked destined for the bottom corner, but again, Worgan was on hand to spare the defenders’ blushes with a fine low save. Substitute Louie Johnson also looked like he was destined to break the deadlock when he replaced Greene, curling just over the bar after a one-two with Richardson. Jones’ shot from a tight angle was saved well by Worgan, before the first action at the other end was a brilliant tackle by Mvemba to deny Danny Imray a shooting chance. Worgan was forced into another brace of saves, with Jones and Johnson both finding the keeper from inside the box. The best chance of the first half fell to Richardson, but he couldn’t find the target from Jones lay-off after Foxley had wriggled through the Chelmsford defence, and from the next attack, Ryan Henshaw’s tackle on Imray inside the box was deemed a foul by the referee. Teniola tried to pick out the bottom right corner, but Jack Giddens was equal to it, tipping the ball round the post at full stretch – the first save of note he had had to make in the match.
HT 0-0
Johnson volleyed towards goal on the turn, but Worgan punched it away, before Foxley’s header went straight into the keeper’s arms. Callum Harrison’s free kick grazed the left side-netting near the top corner of the goal, and Teniola could only shoot straight at Giddens from a counter-attack. Foxley’s free kick cleared the wall but was easily saved by Worgan, before Johnson’s shot from a tight angle was also scrambled clear. Foxley struck the crossbar from the next attack, cutting in from the right, his left footed effort curled and dipped over the keeper but cannoned off the woodwork. Heavily against the run of play, Chelmsford took the lead when Imray cut it back to Liddle and the substitute swept into an open goal from the penalty spot. From then on, the Blues looked really flat, only threatening with a looping cross that briefly looked goal-bound by Jack Thomas, and a header back across goal by Mark Haines from a free kick.
FT 0-1
TEAMS
Bishop’s Stortford XI
1 Jack Giddens
3 Sam Mvemba
4 Jack Thomas
5 Sam Robbins
6 Ryan Henshaw ©
7 Darren Foxley
8 Ben Marlow
9 Tom Richardson
11 Aaron Greene
14 Archie Jones
17 Mark Haines (Yellow card 70’)
Subs
2 Trialist
10 Joe Boachie
12 Frankie Merrifield
15 Joe Gardner
18 Trialist
19 Louie Johnson
20 Ben Smith
Chelmsford City XI
1 Lee Worgan
5 Mickey Spillane
7 Danny Imray
8 Ollie Muldoon
9 Alex Teniola
11 Tom Wraight
15 Ade Oluwo
16 Chez Isaac (Yellow card 58’)
17 Callum Harrison
19 Robbie SImpson
20 Elliot Ward
Subs
2 Cameron James (Yellow card 88’)
3 Adams
4 Anthony Church
10 Adam Morgan (Red card 87’)
12 Andy Fennell
13 Trialist
14 Adam Liddle (Goal 65’)
18 Billy Crook
21 Forbes
Attendance 141
By Hamish Arnold