Eastleigh v Bishop's Stortford

SATURDAY 29th MARCH 2008

BLUE SQUARE SOUTH

Seeking their third straight win following two excellent victories over the Easter weekend, Eastleigh named an unchanged side in this ‘six-pointer’ between two sides both chasing a playoff spot. Mark Marshall will be having his stitches taken out on Monday and should make a return in two weeks following his freak accident in the home last weekend. 

The conditions were far from ideal with a heavy, water-sodden pitch but both sides gave it a good go and by and large put on an entertaining display for the crowd of 709. 

Barely a minute into the game, an Andy Harris long throw on from the right was helped on superbly by the commanding figure of Ashley Vickers to the back post where Peter Adeniyi nodded wide. 

Bishops Stortford meanwhile, came very close to an early goal in just the second minute attacking at good pace. A low cross from Sam Higgins on the right hand side was met by Ahmed Deen whose effort flashed across goal and narrowly off target. 

Karl Murray put in an impressive display with astute passing to create several chances as well as his usual ‘battling away’ in the middle of the park. The former Grays Athletic midfielder threaded through a clever, lofted reverse pass in the 6^th minute in search of Andy Forbes, though the bounce took the ball safely into the goalkeeper’s arms. 

Still inside the opening ten minutes, a slip from Rob Gilman under pressure from Matt Hann led to Chris Piper forcing a corner kick, from which Hann’s superb delivery proved to be simply too good for everyone as it went all the way through and out for a goal kick. 

Live wire winger Hann continued to be a menace to Gilman who he beat all ends up with his close ball control and dribbling, turning inside out before forcing an extremely good save out of the Stortford goalkeeper, Joe Welch in the 10^th minute with a powerful left-footed snapshot. This Eastleigh’s best chance of a fairly even first half. 

Karl Murray came close again for the hosts, with a looping header midway through the half from an excellent through ball by David Hughes. 

The visitors had a couple of chances too. Notably from the Bishops captain Paul Goodacre whose header was saved by Jason Matthews at his near post midway through the half from a free kick on the near side. And, slightly later, Sosthene Yao hit a low drive towards goal from the edge of the area that the Eastleigh stopper was relieved to smother at the second attempt.

Andy Harris picked up an injury towards the end of the half which left the Eastleigh captain unable to continue and forcing Ian Baird into his first change that saw Adam Everitt come on three minutes before the break. 

The former Cambridge City and Yeading left back’s first involvement was to go straight through Yao with a clumsy challenge to pick up a yellow card.

HALF TIME – Eastleigh 0-0 Bishop's Stortford

Eastleigh were by far the better side in the second forty-five minutes and unfortunate not to have come away with a goal to show for it. They had twelve attempts in total after the break, eight of which were on target. 

A trademark creative pass from Hughes exposed the Bishops Stortford defence to the threat of Hann’s pace in the opening stages. The former St Albans man whizzed into the penalty area only to be denied by the alert goalkeeping of Joe Welch who raced off his line to snuff out the danger. 

The Spitfires looked to have carved out the opening goal of the game with a wonderful move that saw Hughes get to the byline and cross to the near post following good play by Murray in the build up also. An unbelievable save from Welch thwarted Paul Sales’ close range effort somehow keeping the ball out and pushing on to his own cross bar. It was a save right out of the top drawer. Eastleigh’s co-assistant manager Paul Doswell likened the piece of brilliance to that of a very famous goalkeeper. “The save was reminiscent of Gordon Banks,” said Doswell speaking after the game. 

Eastleigh were “well on top” reflected Doswell, and came just as close later in the half with the woodwork saving the Bishops once again and denying Eastleigh. This time it was an Andy Forbes header that came back off the cross bar from a David Hughes cross shortly after the hour mark. Once again, excellent football. 

Wedged between the two significant Eastleigh chances, was yet more impressive attacking football from the hosts, to which Stortford seemingly didn’t have an answer to. 

Paul Sales headed behind from a Hann cross, and then a free kick in an advanced position saw the ball rolled short to Murray but his strike appeared to hit a hand in the penalty area and on another day may well have been given. Hann followed up, only to drill comfortably wide from a tight angle. 

Matt Hann’s performance levels were right up there again after his efforts in the Bognor game on Monday, and was unfortunate not to have got himself on the scoresheet. Cutting in from the left flank, he got on to his favoured right foot on the edge of the penalty area only to be denied by Welch. 

Sam Higgins scooped high over the cross bar leaving Jason Matthews still without a save to make in the second half, in which he was a mere spectator before Eastleigh threatened once more with Ashley Vickers heading behind from an Everitt corner. 

Sosthene Yao played the ball into Higgins who made a good turn, firing wide of goal in one of the Bishops rare second half chances soon after. 

In the 75^th minute, Hann might have won the game with a golden opportunity in front of goal, and would have had he connected properly. 

Good approach from second half substitute, Warren McBean invited Paul Sales to take over and sweep agonisingly close but just an inch too high of the cross bar with his left foot moments later. 

With ten minutes remaining Eastleigh still might have got the goal that they deserved but it didn’t quite come. 

A neat one-two between Forbes and McBean had to be cut out by a splendid last-ditch tackle from Goodacre inside the penalty area. 

McBean then had a shot deflected through to Welch in the closing stages before Ahmed Deen volleyed wide of the mark. 

Martin Hayes, the Bishops Stortford manager offered his summary of the 0-0 score line, which he described as ‘a good tight game in very difficult conditions’. Hayes added “A draw was a fair result, we had chances in the first half and Eastleigh in the second”. 

FULL TIME – Eastleigh 0-0 Bishop's Stortford 

JAMIE MONTIGUE