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Blues 1 AFC Hornchurch 0 – pics added

Essex Leopards v Nottingham Hoods, 13th Oct 2018Ryan Charles’ deflected goal just before the break saw Blues keep up their push for a place in the Bostik League play-offs.
The hosts maintained their good home form so far this season but both teams tended to cancel each other out in a generally dull affair.

Essex Leopards v Nottingham Hoods, 13th Oct 2018; Rory WinterAll three of Stortford’s signings made in the 24 hours prior to the game, Ben Sampayo, Ryan Henshaw and Luke Callander were in the starting team, while Nick Brown returned to the side after being cup tied for the FA Trophy win at Hythe Town.

Callander, had a shot parried away by keeper Callum Chafer in the eighth  minute but it was a tentative start by both sides.  Stortford stopper Calum Kitscha tipped a far post header from Leon McKenzie on to the bar in the 25th minute with George Purcell tucking the rebound wide.

Ben SampayoOn the half-hour Chris Gregan found Callander in space but the striker’s shot from the edge of the box was wide of the target.

Chances were few and far between although Chafer stopped an acute angled effort from Nick Brown and a shot from Sampayo as well as a clever lob from Jamie Cureton that the keeper saved at full stretch. However, the deadlock was broken when Charles and Nick Brown gained possession on the right bye-line and the former’s low cross at the near post into the six-yard box deflected into the net off a couple of Urchins defenders.

Essex Leopards v Nottingham Hoods, 13th Oct 2018After the break Brown twice had shots well saved by Chafer and Jamie Cureton hit the bar but the visitors had more of the game territorially and McKenzie found the net in the 76th minute but was ruled offside.

Substitute Alfie Mason missed a good chance to double the score five minutes from the end of normal time when he screwed his shot wide after Cureton had squared the ball across the box to him.

Stortford, though, safely saw out five added minutes although Kitscha kept a clean-sheet thanks to a fine save from the Essex side’s substitute Bode Anidugbe.

STORTFORD: Calum Kitscha; Ben Sampayo; Chris Gregan; Jack Thomas; Sam Robbins; Ryan Henshaw; Nick Brown (Jordan Wescott 74); Johnville Renee; Jamie Cureton; Luke Callander (Alfie Mason 64); Ryan Charles.

Ryan HenshawUnused substitutes: Isaac Nkosi, Marcus Crowther and Olly Miles.

AFC HORNCHURCH: Callum Chafer; Jamie Hursit; Jay Porter (Bode Anidugbe 80); Kenzer Lee; Leon Smith; Connor Hogan (Lewwis Spence 74); Bradley Warner; Alex Bentley; Sean Marks (George Saunders 58); George Purcell; Leon McKenzie.

Unused substitutes: Tobi Coker and Theo Fairweather-Johnson.

Referee: David Harrison

Attendance: 332