Southern League Premier Central: Easter Monday win against Sudbury will save Bishop’s Stortford from relegation after 1-1 draw at St Ives on Saturday
Bishop’s Stortford go into their Easter Monday relegation clash with AFC Sudbury – their final home game of the season – knowing that a win will confirm their Step Three survival.
With Biggleswade Town, Hitchin Town and Lowestoft Town already relegated from Southern League, Premier Central, one of five teams separated by just two points will join them: Barwell (19th with 46 points), Redditch United (18th with 46), AFC Sudbury (17th with 47), Stortford (16th with 48) and St Ives Town (15th with 48).
While Steve Castle’s side host their Suffolk visitors at 3pm, Barwell are away to play-off hopefuls Harborough Town in sixth, Redditch travel to 13th-placed Banbury United and St Ives are at mid-table Royston Town.
Ten-man Stortford held on to a valuable point in an eventful 1-1 draw at St Ives on Saturday.
The match was delayed for 50 minutes near the end as a result of a broken leg suffered by Zach Howell, making only his third appearance for the Blues having joined on a work experience loan from League One side Stevenage in March. Due to the severity of his injury, he could not be moved until an ambulance and paramedics arrived at the Saints’ Westwood Road ground.
There were earlier injuries to Rashawn Scott and Ryan Charles, while the suspension for Fabio Virciglio, who was red-carded just before the hour, means he will miss the final game of the season away to Bromsgrove Sporting.
Stortford made the brighter start and went close to scoring inside two minutes when Scott beat the full back and crossed from the byline, but Virciglio could only make contact with his chest, and the ball came off the post and was cleared off the line.
Blues keeper Elliot Krasniqi made saves from Josh Allen twice and Amir Hadi before the visitors took the lead four minutes before half time. Scott’s diagonal pass picked out the run through the middle of Bradley Russell, who brought the ball down and calmly slotted it home past Saints keeper Daniel Wilks from the centre of the penalty area.
Stortford had two chances to increase their advantage before the break, but Cole Dasilva’s 20-yard free kick was high of the goal and Luka Chalwell’s effort from further out was inches over the crossbar.
Into the second half, the visitors were reduced to 10. Allen was through on goal after St Ives executed a perfect counter attack from a Stortford corner, and Virciglio denied a clear goal-scoring opportunity with a professional foul and was swiftly shown a red card. The resulting free kick was curled over the bar, but the Cambridgeshire side continued to exert pressure, making the most of their numerical advantage.
Hadi volleyed straight at Krasniqi from the edge of the box, and the home team thought they had equalised straight from a corner kick, but Russell cleared the ball off the line, before another goalmouth scramble from a long throw resulted in the ball being hacked clear.
St Ives finally drew level after 79 minutes. A corner was taken short and worked to the edge of the box. Substitute Habib Makanjuola made a run, was picked out by a defence-splitting pass and finished from a tight angle.
Howell’s serious injury happened as a result of a collision with team-mate Presley Evans and the Saints’ Hadi. The match resumed after the lengthy stoppage for the rest of second-half injury time, with the hosts launching corners and long throws into the box, but Stortford held on to take a point.
St Ives Town: Wilks, Smith, Meade (booked 32), Collard (c), Glennon, Hadi, Allen, Creary, Dias (Makanjuola 67), Abimbola, Munday (Gyamfi 90+2). Unused subs: Williams, Pereira, Hottor.
Bishop’s Stortford: Krasniqi (booked 83), Dasilva, Thompson (c), Melvin-Lambert (Haines 63), Russell, Scott, Virciglio (sent off 57), Chalwell, Charles (Forde 87), Ogwuazor, Howell (Akinbulumo 90+57). Unused sub: Cook.
Attendance: 457
