Bishop’s Stortford 0-1 Leiston Match Report

September 14, 2025

9/9/25

Pitching In Southern League Premier Central Division

Hamish Arnold

Jack Manly scored the only goal for Leiston as Bishop’s Stortford suffered back-to-back defeats at Woodside Park on Tuesday night. The Blues tasted defeat by the same score line at home to Stourbridge on Saturday, having started the season unbeaten before that with only one draw. Stortford sit sixth in the Pitching In Southern League Premier Central Division after six games, with the next league opponents Kettering Town in fifth.

Joao Soares Rangel ran onto a long diagonal through ball into the box from the right wing, but he was off-balance as he took on the volley effort and miscued wide. Debutant Declan Phillips made a smart turn to beat his man and took aim from 25 yards but dragged the low shot wide of the bottom right corner. Adam Mills dribbled into the box from the left wing, he was rushed into taking the shot early as goalkeeper Adam Hayton came out to meet him and made the save. Rangel crossed from the right, Mills won the header at the far post but Hayton parried the ball away, only as far as Manly on the left side of the box who fired into the roof of the net from a tight angle. Rangel picked up the ball from a left wing cut back in space on the edge of the box, but his shot through the crowd was saved by Hayton, before the winger failed to meet Mills left wing cross at the far post.

HT 0-1

Saleem Akanbi turned sharply after receiving the ball from Jack Smith, his low shot deflected off a defender’s legs to goalkeeper Billy Johnson. Akanbi took a free kick from left of centre after Presley Evans had been fouled, he aimed under the wall but failed to hit the target. Phillips forced a superb diving save from Johnson with a powerful, accurate strike from 30 yards which looked destined for the top left corner, but the visitors’ ‘keeper scrambled across his goal to tip the ball over the bar. Rangel’s long-range, speculative effort caught Hayton unawares, he spilled the ball nearly into the net but he gathered it at the second attempt to prevent a corner. In second half injury time, Evans had the best chance for an equaliser, when Leon Davies played a diagonal pass into the box, Jake Thompson and Akanbi jumped to win the header, the ball ricocheted to Evans, who turned and volleyed from eight yards but struck the left-hand upright and went clear.

FT 0-1

TEAMS

Bishop’s Stortford XI

1 Adam HAYTON

2 Tommy LETHBRIDGE (Field 90’)

3 Leon DAVIES

5 Jake THOMPSON (c)

6 Mark HAINES (Yellow card 71’)

7 Aaron GREENE (Stokoe 70’)

8 Declan PHILLIPS

12 Fabio VIRCIGLIO (Yellow card 41’)

14 Jack SMITH

19 Saleem AKANBI

20 Luka CHALWELL (Evans 57’)

Subs

4 Daniel STOKOE

16 Rehan FIELD

17 Presley EVANS

15 Harry FORDE

18 Eyituoyo AKINBULUMO

Leiston XI

1 Billy JOHNSON (Yellow card 64’)

2 Cameron RAYWORTH

3 Seb DUNBAR (c)

4 Kyle CALLAN-McFADDEN (Yellow card 62’)

6 Eddie JACKSON (McNeil 63’)

7 Joao Soares RANGEL

8 Fraser ALEXANDER

10 Jack MANLY (Goal 23’) (Keller 84’)

11 Adam MILLS (Yellow card 87’)

15 Jude FROSTICK (Walsh 90’)

20 Ben FOWKES

Subs

12 Ben BATHO

14 Billy WALSH

16 Joe Harvey McNEIL

18 Ryan JARVIS

21 Spencer KELLER

Attendance 310