Recap
Bishop’s Stortford 1-0 Stamford Match Report
16/8/25
Pitching In Southern League Premier Central Division
Hamish Arnold
Brad Russell scored the only goal as Bishop’s Stortford continued a 100% start to the Pitching In Southern League Premier Central Division campaign with a 1-0 win over Stamford at Woodside Park. The Blues are top of the early league table with three wins from three, ahead of Kettering Town – who also have nine points – on goal difference. The victory marks Stortford’s 300th at Non-League Step Three (since 1979-80 – the creation of the Conference/National League).
Leon Davies brought down a long diagonal cross, and passed inside to Obi Onyeagwara who picked out Fabio Virciglio with a through ball, from the right side of the box he played a cut back to Luka Chalwell but his shot was saved by Thomas Jackson. Davies cut in onto his right foot but Jackson was able to catch the ball, before getting low to cut out a low cross from Cole Dasilva on the right as he made an overlapping run past Virciglio. Onyeagwara raced onto a diagonal through ball on the left wing, he dribbled into the box and fired goalwards with his right foot, but Jackson’s outstretched leg kept the ball out of the near post and out for a corner. Despite the Blues having the better of the half, the Daniels did have a late chance to take the lead before the break, countering from a Stortford free kick, captain Harry Vince dribbled into the box, his low cross was parried into the path of Jack Duffy, but Adam Hayton claimed the loose ball at the feet of the visiting forward.
HT 0-0
Russell’s back post header looped over the bar from Chalwell’s cross from the right, before a Stamford free kick deflected off the wall into the path of Cameron Johnson, his shot came off the base of the right post, across the face of goal and behind for a goal kick. Onyeagwara dribbled to the bye-line and floated a cross to the far post, Dasilva’s cut back was parried by Jackson and cleared from danger. Duffy received the ball with his back to goal and turned to shoot in the six yard box, only for Mark Haines to make a perfect tackle to take the ball away. Dasilva then floated a free kick from a deep position to JAden Ogwuazor, he headed the ball back across goal and Russell arrived to fire home into the bottom left corner to break the deadlock in the 61st minute. Evans crossed from the right and Russell could have bagged a brace, but he was off balance when he took the shot and dragged the ball wide of the bottom corner. Kai Sanchez-Tonge crossed from a dangerous position on the right but Hayton saved, Freddie Allen panicked when he had space and time to pick out a cross, instead shooting high and wide of the goal from the left side of the box. In second half injury time, substitute Nahum Melvin-Lambert headed wide from Dasilva’s right wing cross.
FT 1-0
TEAMS
Bishop’s Stortford XI
1 Adam HAYTON
3 Leon DAVIES
4 Jack SMITH
6 Mark HAINES (c) (Thompson 78’)
7 Obi ONYEAGWARA (Melvin-Lambert 76’)
10 Brad RUSSELL (Goal 61’)
12 Fabio VIRCIGLIO (Evans 66’)
16 Jaden OGWUAZOR (Assist 61’)
18 Cole DASILVA
19 Saleem AKANBI (Yellow card 13’) (Forde 90+2’)
20 Luka CHALWELL (Yellow card 35’) (Titchmarsh 56’)
Subs
5 Jake THOMPSON
8 Harry TITCHMARSH
9 Nahum MELVIN-LAMBERT
14 Harry FORDE
17 Presley EVANS
Stamford XI
1 Thomas JACKSON
2 Charlie MARZANO (Wilson 83’)
3 Rhys SHARPE (Bartle 64’)
4 Jack THOMAS (Yellow card 60’)
5 Jordan COOKE
6 Kyle ROWLEY
7 George HOBBINS (Yellow card 39’)
8 Harry VINCE (c) (Allen 69’)
9 Jack DUFFY (Sanchez-Tonge 63’)
10 Cameron JOHNSON
11 Jason LAW (Liversidge 67’)
Subs
12 Freddie ALLEN
14 Connor BARTLE
15 Ryan WILSON
16 Tobias LIVERSIDGE
17 Kai SANCHEZ-TONGE
Attendance 378
