BSFC 2-0 Harlow Town Match Report

Bishop’s Stortford picked up a first win in three friendlies with a 2-0 victory over Harlow Town at the R & D Advisors UK Ltd Stadium. Frankie Merrifield struck a first half brace and the Blues kept a first clean sheet in this pre-season.

Jack Thomas forced Tom Crump into a low save early on as the midfielder got on the end of a cross from Terrell Egbri, and Ryan Charles flicked the ball over a defender to make space for a shot but it was blocked at close range after Jay Porter’s cut ball. Captain Ryan Henshaw met a left wing corner at the back post, trying to find the bottom left corner he missed the target before Merrifield saw his shot pushed wide by Crump from Egbri’s through ball. Charles’ wayward volley missed the target from Egbri’s right wing cross, but the pressure eventually told as the Blues broke the deadlock when Merrifield nodded home from close range after Henshaw had won the initial header at the back post from Darren Foxley’s corner. Egbri’s defence splitting pass fell to Thomas on the six yard line but his effort ricocheted off the woodwork, and Charles forced a save from Crump with a powerful, long-range strike. Merrifield netted his second, with a hint of luck, his first shot was parried straight back to him by Crump, leaving the striker an open goal.

HT 2-0

Foxley was flagged offside as he headed over the crossbar from Tosin Olufemi’s cross, and Merrifield must have thought he would be taking the match ball home with his next chance, from Egbri’s low cross into the six yard box, last season’s Blues top-scorer ghosted in at the back post for a tap in, but a last ditch dive by Crump pushed the ball around the post off Merrifield’s toe. Charles unleashed a low rocket of a stroke, and with the keeper unmoved, Crump was relieved to see the woodwork rattle and the ball deflect away from goal. Egbri crossed from the right after a left wing corner and Merrifield couldn’t convert from Henshaw’s return header. Mark Haines made a late rune to the near post but headed wide. Alfie Attrill flicked the ball goalwards with a backwards header following a corner but it drifted wide, and he fired wide following Jesse Mansaram’s left wing cutback. Haines denied Serge Erkaslan’s shot from 10 yards with a diving block. Egbri broke in behind the defence but fired wide from a tight angle on the right, and Chris Harris headed wide from a floated cross by Charlie Allum.

FT 2-0

The Blues host a Colchester United XI on Tuesday 9 August in the last pre-season friendly before Haringey Borough are the visitors on Saturday 13 August on the Pitching In Isthmian League Premier Division opening day.

TEAMS

Blues XI

1 Jack Giddens

2 Jay Porter (Yellow card 66’)

5 Sam Robbins (Haines 58’)

6 Ryan Henshaw (c) (Wallace 80’)

10 Frankie Merrifield (Goal 22’ 41’) (Harris 57’)

11 Tosin Olufemi

12 Jack Thomas

14 Darren Foxley (Demetriou 80’)

15 Ryan Charles (Giles 57’)

16 Terrell Egbri

18 Ollie Peters (Allum 72’)

Subs

3 Archie Edwards

4 Charlie Allum

7 Jonny Giles

8 Josh Demetriou

9 Chris Harris

17 Mark Haines

19 Jimmy Wallace

Harlow Town XI

1 Tom Crump

2 Jared Small

3 Callum Berg

4 Alex Luque

5 Franklin Nzeh

6 Alfie Attrill

7 Sam Bayon (Ferguson 61’)

8 Syrus Gordon (c)

9 Samson Maagbe (Mansaram 53’)

10 Aleki Aliaj (Erkaslan 61’)

11 Hani B

Subs

12 Craig Ferguson

13 Rob Horgan

14 Serge Erkaslan

15 Layne Eadie

16 Jesse Mansaram