Barwell 3-1 Bishop’s Stortford

Barwell 3-1 Bishop’s Stortford Match Report

25/4/26

Pitching In Southern League Premier Central Division

Hamish Arnold

The final game of the season ended in defeat for Bishop’s Stortford away at Barwell. It means the Blues finish in 16th place in the Pitching In Southern League Premier Central Division on 49 points, two fewer than the previous campaign. Obi Onyeagwara gave the Blues an early lead before the Leicestershire side – who were already relegated before this match – hit back with three unanswered goals in the second half.

 

Onyeagwara curled into the bottom left corner on his weaker foot from a through ball inside two minutes to give Steve Castle’s side the lead. Harry Hawkins jumped highest to win a header in the middle of the box from a right wing corner, but Adam Hayton diving to his left kept the ball out. Onyeagwara picked out Harry Forde on the overlap but his low cross from the left went right through the six yard box without a teammate able to get a finishing touch, before Coke Dasilva curled a long range free kick wide of the bottom right corner. Brad Russell saw his shot blocked from Onyeagwara’s cross, before Frank Norris fouled a defender as he stretched to reach another cross from the Blues number 11. Dasilva’s left wing cross was headed clear to Russell on the edge but his shot was blocked for a corner. It was taken short to Onyeagwara and he returned the ball to Dasilva, Jake Thompson’s glancing header went into the back of the net but was flagged offside by the assistant referee. The skipper’s next header was on target from Dasilva’s free kick but saved by Fin Osborn.

HT 0-1

Onyeagwara cut in off the wing into a central position but shot over the bar, before Barwell captain Dan Jarvis scored a quickfire brace, first converting a low cross from the left at the far post, then when Hayton parried a shot from the left side of the box, Jarvis rifled the ball into the left side of the net via a deflection of a Blues defender. After a quick counter-attack break Zayn Hakeem netted the third from the left side of the box, and substitute Malakai Reeve saw the frame of the goal deny a fourth for the home team, with Hayton catching the rebound from the low shot. Aaron Greene forced a save from the left side of the box and Cameron Leggatt couldn’t get the rebound header past Osborn. Dasilva saw a late free kick curl wide of the top left corner from 25 yards.

FT 3-1

TEAMS

Barwell XI

1 Fin Osborn

2 Jahdahn Fridye-Harper (Reeve 46’)

3 James Taylor

4 Herve Pepe Ngoma

5 Freddie Cook

6 Harry Hawkins (Hill 46’)

7 Zayn Hakeem (Yellow card 21’) (Goal 77’) (Elhagany 77’)

8 Billy Gough

9 Jevin Seaton

10 Dan Jarvis (Goal 56’ 61’) (Singh 83’)

11 Cyrus Bruce (Sandhu 46’)

Subs

12 Ethan Hill

14 Amavir Sandhu (Yellow card 80’)

15 Elwalid Elhaghany (Yellow card 90+2’)

16 Malakai Reeve (Yellow card 74’)

17 Sonny Singh

Bishop’s Stortford XI

1 Adam Hayton

3 Leon Davies

4 Cole Dasilva

5 Jake Thompson (c)

6 Mark Haines (Yellow card 69’)

9 Frank Norris (Yellow card 21’) (Greene 46’)

10 Brad Russell (Leggatt 62’)

11 Obi Onyeagwara (Goal 2’)

14 Jack Smith (Kreka 62’)

18 Erin Amu (Yellow card 37’)

20 Harry Forde

Subs

7 Charlie Castle

15 Deivi Kreka

17 Cameron Leggatt

19 Aaron Greene

22 Charlie Johnson

Attendance 279