Bishop’s Stortford 2-3 South Shields Match Report

Bishop’s Stortford 2-3 South Shields Match Report

9/1/24

Vanarama National League North

Hamish Arnold

A late brace for Michael Woods gave South Shields all three points with a 2-3 win at the RDA Stadium against Bishop’s Stortford. The Blues had taken the lead at 2-1, but two goals in five minutes from the visitors turned the match on its head. Stortford remain 13 points from safety, but Banbury United in 20th have two games in hand.

In freezing conditions there was a low tempo start to the match from both sides, with Osman Sow’s looping header that was easily saved by Kyle Seymour the only chance of note in the first quarter of an hour. Paul Blackett forced a low save from Jack Giddens with a powerful shot from a tight angle, before Aaron Martin flicked on Seymour’s long kick, into the path of Blackett, who volleyed first time into the bottom left corner. Sow was denied a shooting chance on the edge of the box as Seymour rushed out of goal to dive on the loose ball. Seymour – making his senior league debut for the Mariners – nearly gifted Sow an equaliser as the striker closed down the keeper with the ball at his feet, but Seymour managed to push it wide of the post for  Bishop’s Stortford corner. Sow forced a diving save from Seymour but the resulting corner was cleared. Harry Beadle thought he had equalised when he bundled home Darren Foxley’s cross, but referee Lisa Benn blew immediately for a foul on Seymour, but Kane Crichlow’s goal did stand, finding the bottom left corner from Sow’s pass inside the box, in the third minute of injury time at the end of the half.

HT 1-1

Woods received the ball unexpectedly in space but couldn’t find the back of the net, with Giddens making a save with his legs. Sow at the other end held up the ball well before making space for a left footed shot, but Seymour made a strong save down to his right. Foxley dispossessed Jed Abbey in the midfield and dribbled into the box, his powerful strike seemed to go through the gloves of Seymour and into the back of the net to give the Blues the lead. Woods foound the bottom right corner with a first time finish from the middle of the box from a short corner routine on 84 minutes, before running onto a through ball in the left side of the box and finding the back of the net from a tight angle on 89 minutes. Blackett could have made it four when he was one-on-one with Giddens, but hit the base of the post.

FT 2-3

TEAMS

Bishop’s Stortford XI

1 Jack Giddens (c)

3 Riccardo Di Trolio

5 Sam Robbins

6 Harry Beadle

7 Gio McGregor (Greene 53’)

8 Kane Crichlow (Goal 45+3’)

10 Darren Foxley (Goal 76’) (Yellow card 90+6)

11 Ethan Burnett (Alemanji 63’)

12 Emmanuel Oke

14 Osman Sow (Assist 45+3’)

18 Asher Falase (Thomas 80’)

Subs

4 Jack Thomas

9 Mbunya Alemanji

17 Aaron Greene

South Shields XI

22 Kyle Seymour (Yellow card 90+4’)

3 Blair Adams (c)

4 Gary Liddle

6 Martin Smith (Yellow card 90+6’)

8 Robert Briggs

9 Paul Blackett (Goal 18’)

10 Michael Woods (Goal 84’ 89’)

23 Aaron Martin (Savage 61’)

25 Jed Abbey (Heaney 71’)

27 Courtney Clarke

33 Tom Broadbent (Yellow card 90+6’)

Subs

7 Mackenzie Heaney

14 Jordy Mongoy

24 Albe Fletcher

32 Dan Savage

34 James Sloan

Attendance 290