Bishop’s Stortford 2-3 Berkhamsted Match Report

Bishop’s Stortford 2-3 Berkhamsted Match Report

05/09/26

Emirates FA Cup First Qualifying Round

Hamish Arnold

Tyrone Baker scored a brace but Bishop’s Stortford were beaten 2-3 by Berkhamsted at the Grundon Community Stadium in the Emirates FA Cup First Qualifying Round on Saturday. The Comrades were reduced to 10 late on but secured their place in the draw for the next round.

A free kick in the first minute saw Blues captain Jake Thompson have a shooting chance but he volleyed wide, before Hubert Graczyk palmed away another free kick, and Frank Norris saw his header on the rebound tipped over the bar by the visiting goalkeeper. Norris was denied once more with a volley at the far post from a left wing corner, and he glanced a header wide from Jack Smith’s deep cross. Obi Onyeagwara cut inside off the left wing and passed to Russell, his shot was blocked but came loose, Norris tried to chase it down but Graczyk was out quickly to smother the ball. A right wing cut back at the other end found Connor Kurran-Brown but his curling effort went over the bar, and Harry Rush’s strike cleared the stand behind the goal from long range. Dylan Colletti dribbled down the wing and crossed from the right, the ball went through to Onyeagwara on the far side but his shot from a tight angle was saved. Max Rosner headed wide from a left wing corner before Norris won the ball off a defender and squared the ball to Baker who rolled into the empty net. Russell volleyed wide from a clearing header from Smith’s free kick and Norris made a great leap to meet Leon Davies’ cross but his header was off target. Luke Andrews controlled the ball on his chest from a long ball but debutant Seb Chaudhuri rushed out of the Stortford goal and timed his punch to perfection to clear the danger. Baker volleyed over the bar in first half injury time from a free kick that had been cleared to the edge of the box.

HT 1-0

Jonathan Lacey – who scored a hat-trick in this round of the competition for Biggleswade Town at the Grundon Community Stadium three seasons ago – dragged a low shot wide of the bottom left corner, and Ricardo German skied an easy tap in after Chaudhuri had parried a right wing cross. Substitute Ryan Blake and German both jumped to meet a right wing cross but the former appeared to impede the latter and the ball went behind for a goal kick. Colletti’s low cross from the right was cut out before Norris could finish. Onyeagwara’s cut back from the left missed Norris and Colletti miscued the cross back in from the right, before a long ball wasn’t dealt with and Blake was left free to volley in from 15 yards to equalise. The Southern League Premier South Division side took the lead just three minutes later when Lacey took a short free kick to German, he turned past the defender and curled the ball into the left side netting. Captain Lacey then hit the post with a long range strike after Charlie Johnson lost possession, but the third goal did come soon after then Andrews headed into the net via a deflection from a deep free kick. Billie Busari was sent off after coming off the bench for raising his hands in a physical altercation with Joe Nardelli, and Baker netted his second just two minutes later, curling the ball in off the crossbar, play briefly continued with the ball coming back out of the goal, but the assistant referee spotted that the ball had crossed the line. The Blues had four minutes plus injury time to find an equaliser, Thompson had a great chance when he controlled and shot from Colletti’s cross from the right, but Graczyk at full stretch kept the ball out of the top corner, Johnson fired over the bar after the corner was cleared. Thompson’s low effort from the centre of the box was palmed away once more by Graczyk, denying the hosts a replay on Tuesday night.

FT 2-3

TEAMS

Bishop’s Stortford XI

1 Seb CHAUDHURI

2 Joe NARDELLI (Yellow card 83’)

3 Leon DAVIES

5 Jake THOMPSON (c)

7 Tyrone BAKER (Goal 33’ 86’)

9 Frank NORRIS (Assist 33’)

10 Brad RUSSELL (Yellow card 55’)

11 Obi ONYEAGWARA (A Jessey 72’)

14 Jack SMITH

17 Aaron GREENE (Colletti 20’)

22 Charlie JOHNSON

Subs

6 Mark HAINES

16 George JESSEY

19 Jackson CHUKWU-NSOFOR

20 Alfie JESSEY

21 Dylan COLLETTI

Berkhamsted XI

1 Hubert GRACZYK

3 Cameron HYDE

5 Lewis ROLFE

7 Jonathan LACEY (c)

8 Harry RUSH (Busari 58’)

10 Luke ANDREWS (Yellow card 38’) (Goal 75’)

12 Max ROSNER

15 Ricardo GERMAN (Goal 69’) (Sharpe 78’)

16 Jeffrey SEKYERE (Blake 46’)

17 Connor KURRAN-BROWN (Tompkins 46’)

18 Tom GEORGIO (Prosper 46’)

Subs

2 Jack TOMPKINS

4 Jeanmal PROSPER

6 James GURTEEN

9 Ryan BLAKE (Goal 66’)

11 Billie BUSARI (Red card 83’)

13 Mat BURCH

14 Jamal SHARPE

Attendance 365