Bishop’s Stortford 2-2 (4-2 p) Sawbridgeworth Town Match Report

Bishop’s Stortford 2-2 (4-2 p) Sawbridgeworth Town Match Report

06/10/26

Hertfordshire Senior Cup First Round

Hamish Arnold

Calum Barnes saved a penalty alongside four perfect spot kicks for Bishop’s Stortford to progress in the Hertfordshire Senior Cup with a shootout win following a 2-2 draw at the Grundon Community Stadium on Tuesday night. Warren Kayembe had given Sawbo the lead before Jack Smith scored a late brace to put the Blues ahead, but Elijah Mambombe netted in second half injury time to send the match to penalties.

The Step Five Spartan South Midlands Football League Premier Division side had the better of the first half, Sam Ince had the first sight of goal cutting in off the left, but his low shot towards the near post was saved by Barnes. Mark Haines denied Austen Garrod with a last ditch sliding tackle but the ball wriggled free to Kayembe on the edge of the  box but his shot went off target and Ince’s long range strike was dipping but not quickly enough as it went over the crossbar from long range. The visitors thought they had taken the lead in first half injury time when a long ball was misjudged by Barnes coming out to clear, he collided with Brad Russell leaving an open goal but Ince was in an offside position when the pass was made by a team-mate.

HT 0-0

Kayembe curled the ball into the bottom right corner of the net from the left side of the box to break the deadlock after 13 minutes of the second half, and Mambombe nearly made it two but glanced his header over the bar from a wide free kick. Teddy Hall intercepted a misplaced pass in the Stortford defence to dribble through on goal, but Barnes made a smart stop with his legs. Smith curled a superb free kick over the wall into the top left corner of the goal to equalise after Alfie Wellens had been fouled slightly left of centre. Huseyin Yildiz dragged a curling shot wide of the left post from the edge of the box, before Matt Hurley headed Dylan Colletti’s right wing cross clear, only as far as Harry Titchmarsh but his volley was saved. Colletti was then fouled as he jumped for a left wing cross and referee Tom Cartwright awarded a penalty kick which Smith fired into the bottom right corner. There was still time for an equaliser for Sawbridgeworth Town though, when Mambombe latched onto a long ball and fired in low across goal from the left side of the box.

FT 2-2

Stortford took the first penalty with Titchmarsh putting the ball beyond Albie Marsden’s reach into the top right corner, before visiting captain Hurley stepped up for Sawbo, but a strong right hand from a diving Barnes kept the ball out of the net. Smith, Nikolay Zlatev and Colletti scored for the Blues, as did Callum Leggatt and Josh Rizafor Sawbridgeworth. Austen Garrod needed to score to keep his side in the competition but skied his shot over the crossbar, giving the home side a 4-2 shootout victory.

FT 2-2 (4-2 p)

TEAMS

Bishop’s Stortford XI

1 Calum BARNES

4 Tye BARTON (Nardelli 62’)

5 Jake THOMPSON (c) (Yellow card 41’)

6 Mark HAINES

7 Ned HEPBURN (Colletti 62’)

9 Frank NORRIS (Titchmarsh 46’)

10 Brad RUSSELL (Virciglio 73’)

11 Alfie WELLENS (Assist 79’)

14 Jack SMITH (Goal 79’ 89’p)

15 Nikolay ZLATEV

17 Aaron GREENE (Yellow card 41’) (Reeve 62’)

Subs

2 Joe NARDELLI (Yellow card 67’)

3 Oliver REEVE

8 Harry TITCHMARSH

12 Fabio VIRCIGLIO

20 Dylan COLLETTI (Assist 89’)

Sawbridgeworth Town XI

1 Albie MARSDEN

2 Tom MILLETT (Fox 35’)

3 Max ARNOLD

4 Callum LEGGATT (Yellow card 82’)

6 Astin BRACE

7 Callum FISHER (Mambombe 65’)

8 Huseyin YILDIZ

10 Austen GARROD

11 Sam INCE (Riza 72’)

14 Warren KAYEMBE (Goal 58’) (Hall 65’)

19 Matt HURLEY (c)

Subs

12 Josh FOX

15 Owen BRADDICK

16 Josh RIZA

17 Elijah MAMBOMBE (Goal 90+4’)

20 Teddy HALL

Attendance 275