Bishop’s Stortford 3-2 Hitchin Town Match Report

Bishop’s Stortford 3-2 Hitchin Town Match Report 8/3/25

Pitching In Southern League Premier Central Division

Hamish Arnold

Nahum Melvin-Lambert secured Hertfordshire derby day bragging rights for Bishop’s Stortford with a brace – including the winner in the fourth minute of second-half injury time – against Hitchin Town in the Pitching In Southern League Premier Central Division on Saturday. The Blues came from behind twice to complete a league double over the relegation-threatened Canaries, who sit four points from safety in 21st place, while Stortford are eight points clear of the drop in 14th.

Hitchin took the lead inside three minutes, when Fabio Virciglio fouled Rio Deall in the corner of the box following a left wing corner. Daniel Stokoe fired into the bottom left corner from the penalty spot despite Elliot Krasniqi diving the correct way. Just 10 minutes later and the Blues were level, with Melvin-Lambert’s first goal of the afternoon. Rashawn Scott made a great run down the left wing, beating the fullback for pace and picked out a low cut back for the striker to convert at the near post, beating the defender to poke the ball into the net. Enock Ekongo’s low shot from the edge of the box was easily saved by Krasniqi, before Jake Thompson’s volley from Cole Dasilva’s corner was blocked, and the follow-up cross was caught by Joshua Mollison. Mark Haines won the header from a free kick and cushioned the ball to Thompson, but he volleyed off target, before a misplaced pass let Scott race through on goal, but he couldn’t keep his shot on target. Two minutes before half-time, Lewis Franklin restored the lead for the visitors, he dribbled into the box from the right wing and picked out the bottom right corner from 15 yards.

HT 1-2

Thompson netted his first Stortford goal at the RDA Stadium on the hour mark, brilliantly controlling Dasilva’s cross with his back to goal, then swivelling and converting on the half-volley. Mollison saved Dasilva’s powerful strike, before Scott rode the tackle of a defender in the box, but took the ball too wide and shot into the side netting. Hitchin counter-attacked from a Blues corner, with the ball falling to substitute Bradley Bell in the right side of the box, but shot straight at Krasniqi. Dasilva floated a free kick into the box from the left side towards the far post, where Melvin-Lambert rose highest to power home a bullet header into the top left corner to seal three points late on – the first time Stortford had the lead in the match.

FT 3-2

TEAMS

Bishop’s Stortford XI

1 Elliot KRASNIQI

2 Cole DASILVA (Assist 60’ 90+4’)

3 Luke WARNER-ELEY (Freeman 70’)

4 Olu OLUWATIMILEHIN (Russell 59’)

5 Jake THOMPSON (c) (Goal 60’)

6 Mark HAINES

9 Nahum MELVIN-LAMBERT (Goal 13’ 90+4’)

11 Rashawn SCOTT (Yellow card 6’) (Assist 13’) (Ogwuazor 90+6’)

14 Luka CHALWELL (Cohen 70’)

18 Erin AMU

20 Fabio VIRCIGLIO (Evans 59’)

Subs

8 Gary COHEN (Yellow card 90+1’)

10 Bradley RUSSELL

12 Noah FREEMAN (Yellow card 75’)

16 Jaden OGWUAZOR

17 Presley EVANS

Hitchin Town XI

1 Joshua MOLLISON

2 Lewis FRANKLIN (Goal 43’) (Dixon-Smith 88’)

3 Enock EKONGO

4 Toby SYME

5 Joshua ODELL BATURE

6 Ciaren JONES (c)

7 Rio DEALL (Bell 59’)

8 Stephen GLEESON (Yellow card 58’) (Heaps 76’)

9 Daniel STOKOE (Goal pen 3’) (Tearle 80’)

10 Liam BROOKS (Smith 85’)

11 Harry TITCHMARSH

Subs

12 Bradley DIXON-SMITH

14 Billy HEAPS

15 Kye TEARLE

16 Bradley SMITH

17 Bradley BELL

Attendance 577