Bishop’s Stortford 1-1 Stratford Town Match Report

Bishop’s Stortford 1-1 Stratford Town Match Report 3/4/26

Pitching In Southern League Premier Central Division

Hamish Arnold

The last match on grass at Woodside Park saw Bishop’s Stortford confirm survival at Non-League Step Three with a 1-1 draw against Stratford Town on Good Friday. Defeats for Barwell and St Ives Town means none of the current bottom four can catch the Blues, who are 14th in the Pitching In Southern League Premier Central Division on 47 points with four games to go.

Lamine Sherif saw his shot blocked by Jaden Ogwuazor after a clearance following a left wing free kick, before Charlie Wragg fired over the bar. Erin Amu turned and shot low across goal from the left side of the box but the ball flashed wide of the target. Adam Hayton claimed Wragg’s free kick which had beaten the wall, before Hayton denied visiting skipper Paul McCone’s header from a left wing cross. Somewhat against the run of play, Frank Norris gave Stortford the lead when he ran through on goal and went round goalkeeper Jake Weaver and slotted home from a tight angle.

HT 1-0

Wragg – who scored a hat-trick in the rearranged reverse fixture – flashed a low shot wide of the far post before Obi Onyeagwara’s cross from the right was a few millimetres high for Norris to get his head to. The Warwickshire side equalised midway through the second half when Owen James bundled home from close range when McCone had nodded a deep ball across goal. Hayton tipped Dan Lafferty’s header over the bar and Charlie Castle came off the bench and forced Weaver into a smart low save when he cut in off the and shot low with his right foot. Castle went close once more when Norris cushioned the ball off his chest into the path of the winger, but Weaver was equal to his 20-yard strike once again.

FT 1-1

TEAMS

Bishop’s Stortford XI

1 Adam HAYTON

3 Leon DAVIES

4 Cole DASILVA (Greene 63’)

5 Jake THOMPSON (c) (Yellow card 25’)

9 Frank NORRIS (Goal 45’)

10 Brad RUSSELL

11 Obi ONYEAGWARA (Castle 77’)

12 Fabio VIRCIGLIO (Kearney 87’)

14 Jack SMITH

16 Jaden OGWUAZOR (Kreka 77’)

18 Erin AMU

Subs

7 Charlie CASTLE

15 Deivi KREKA

17 Haydn KEARNEY

19 Aaron GREENE

20 Harry FORDE

Stratford Town XI

1 Jake WEAVER

3 Finlay BRENNAN

5 Paul McCONE (c)

6 Kory ROBERTS

7 Henry LANDERS (Toluwaloju 77’)

8 Lewis ISON

10 Dan LAFFERTY

11 Charlie WRAGG

14 Jourdain MASIDI

17 Owen JAMES (Goal 68’) (Lott 82’)

20 Lamine SHERIF (Hawker 89’)

Subs

2 Daniel VANN

4 Joshua HAWKER

12 Joshua TOLUWALOJU

18 McLloyd OBEN

19 Max LOTT

Attendance 430