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BISHOP’S STORTFORD 3b7 CORINTHIAN CASUALS 0
BLUES extended their unbeaten run to nine games with a dominant performance against Casuals.
It was the first meeting for over 40 years of two famous non-league clubs, and Stortford never looked in trouble as they kept their first clean sheet of season and moved up to sixth place in the Bostik Premier table.
The South Londoner’s attacks looked promising early in the but their threat fizzled out as the match progressed and the returning Calum Kitscha in goal had a relatively quiet afternoon.
As well as Kitscha returning after a leg injury the Blues had the benefit of having Jake Cass available up front. The dual registered striker could not play for Braintree Town in the FA Cup at Barnet as he was already cup-tied with Stortford.b4
Other changes saw Jordan Wescott serving a one match ban following his red card at Merstham the previous Saturday whilst Ryan Charles was unavailable due to work commitments.
Coming into the side were Dan Humphreys in the right back slot and newcomer Nick Brown into the midfield after signing from Heybridge Swifts.
Kitscha had to advance quickly off his line to gather the ball in front of Gabriel Odunaike in the fifth minute but it was mostly Stortford calling the tune early on with Brown having a volley held by keeper Bradley Comins before holding on to an audacious effort by Jamie Cureton.
The hosts took the lead in the 13th minute after the persistent Cass won the ball on the right and his cross into the six yard box was netted by Alfie Mason after the ball deflected off Comins.
Soon afterwards Cureton, receiving a ball up the left flank by Chris Gregan, saw his shot produce a fine save from Comins and the keeper was in action again to keep out a Cass header.
b6Cass twice went close to extending the lead while at the other end, Warren Mfula had a header for the Casuals tipped away by Kitscha following a cross from former Blues midfielder Maxwell Oldham
The hosts then had a perfect start four minutes after the break with Cureton  latching on to a through ball down the middle from Gregan and firing clinically past Comins.
Apart from an effort by Jordan Clarke that Kitscha saved at the near post on the hour the visitors offered little in the second half and Stortford had a number of chances to increase their lead that they didn’t take, with Nick Brown also forcing an excellent save from Comins in the 83rd minute.
Cass finally got himself on the score-sheet at last with three minutes left when Mason delivered a long pass from the right to the edge of the area where the ball bounced off the chest of the on-coming Comins and the Blues striker headed the rebound over the Casuals stopper.
Substitute Olly Miles nearly netted a fourth goal in added time when, after he had been fouled outside the box, his free-kick was well saved by Comins diving full length to his right towards the far upright.
b5STORTFORD: Calum Kitscha; Dan Humphreys; Chris Gregan; Jack Thomas (Hector Kyprianou 79); Sam Robbins; Isaac Nkosi; Nick Brown (Lewis Byrne-Hewitt 90+1); Johnville Renee; Jamie Cureton (Olly Miles 79); Jake Cass; Alfie Mason.
Unused substitutes: Marcus Crowther and Sam Baffour.
CORINTHIAN-CASUALS: Bradley Comins; Juevan Spencer (Thomas Smith 67); Jack Tucker (Benjamin Checklit 79); Reece Hannigan; Jack Strange; Hamilton Antonio; Maxwell Oldham (Hakeem Adelakun 62); Mu Mann; Gabriel Odunaike; Warren Mfula; Jordan Clarke.
Unused substitutes: Warren Morgan and Callum McAllister.
Referee:  Aaron Farmer