Match Report

Leverstock Green faced Step 3 opposition for the second time in four days, and Bishop’s Stortford proved tougher opposition than Billericay Town had been, as the Isthmian Premier Division table would suggest. Five goals down early in the second half, the Leverstock followers feared the worst, but the side dug in over the last forty minutes and no further goals were scored in this Herts Senior Cup first round tie.

Fergus Moore was able to bring Adrian Pitfield into the side for the first time this season after injury problems, and Pitfield made two good tackles in the opening minute of the game as the home side started strongly. It took them only six minutes to get on the scoresheet, with Jay Porter coming in to shoot home from six yards out.

The second goal came in the 27th minute as Leverstock were punished for giving the ball away in their own half. The ball was chipped forward to Frankie Merrifield on the edge of the penalty area, and he turned away from a defender and hit a shot which gave Austin Byfield no chance. Merrifield hit another shot from long range two minutes later but Byfield did well to hold onto it. A third goal was threatened in the 38th minute, but Leverstock survived as a header from the corner hit the bar, and the header from the rebound was tipped over by Byfield. However in the 41st minute the ball was threaded through to Chris Harris, who slotted it home for a third Bishop’s Stortford goal.

The second half was only 40 seconds old when Stortford added their fourth goal, a simple tap-in at the far post from Jack Thomas. In the 51st minute it was 5-0 when Oliver Peters was allowed to run at goal and hit a ferocious shot which again gave Byfield no chance as it flew into the net.

Rio Beach had Leverstock’s best effort of the game so far in the 55th minute as he went on a mazy run into the box and hit a shot just over the bar. A double substitution on 57 minutes saw Scott McGleish replace the injured Dan Weeks and Ibrahim Nagheeb replace Ryan Carruthers, and the Green side began to look more solid and started to play some football. Nagheeb had a run at goal in the 62nd minute and his shot brought the first save of the game out of home keeper Noah Phillips. Leverstock were denied a consolation goal again in the 71st minute when a shot was cleared off the line.

Stortford were still pushing forward in the later stages of the game, but some good defending ensured that they did not add to their score. The last half hour of the game should give the Green side plenty of positives to take into their next game, at home to London Colney in the Premier Division Cup on Saturday.

Bishop’s Stortford (3) 5 (Porter 6, Merrifield 27, Harris 41, J.Thomas 46, Peters 51)
1. Noah Phillips, 2. Jay Porter (11. David Olufemi 50 mins), 5. Sam Robbins, 8. Matthew Johnson, 9. Chris Harris, 10. Frankie Merrifield (7. Jonathan Giles H/T), 12. Jack Thomas, 15. Oliver Peters (16. Charlie Allum 59 mins), 17. Mark Haines, 19. Harry Beadle, 20. Donell Thomas. Sub not used: 4. Joshua Demetriou.
Leverstock Green (0) 0
1. Austin Byfield, 2. Adrian Pitfield, 3. Rio Beach, 4. Dan Weeks (20. Scott McGleish 57 mins), 5. Alvin Kyemereh, 6. Ryan Carruthers (14. Ibrahim Nagheeb 57 mins), 7. Ethan Mooney, 8. Sean Walsh, 9. Luke Beckwith, 10. George Mitchell-Gears, 11. Elgeniy Daalberg (12. Lewis Collins 67 mins). Subs mot used: 15. Dan Pett, 16. Brad Robinson.