Bishop's Stortford 2-4 U's: It'll be all Wright on the night
"Sheffield Wednesday 2, Dagenham & Redbridge 0…" After a summer without our weekly dose of Abbey action (Honduras v Switzerland really was no substitute), it is always good to hear James Alexander Gordon's mellifluous tones across the airwaves, his rich Scottish burr pouring the results into our ears like lukewarm honey. Hang on though… Wednesday versus Daggers? That must be a pre-season friendly, surely? And what's that: Accrington versus Aldershot? Burton against Oxford? Stevenage versus Macclesfield? Has the Conference started without us??!
The harsh reality, of course, is that all of those clubs are now in what is known as the 'nPower Championship,' and while their season started this weekend, those of us in the elite leagues (Barclays Premier, Blue Square Bet Premier) have to wait another week before the serious action gets underway. So as CRC were putting Woodbridge Town to the sword at the Abbey, the first team was completing its pre-season schedule at Conference South local-ish rivals Bishop's Stortford.
Woodside Park was only completed eleven years ago and it remains a smart, well-kept arena which seems to have been improved every time we visit there. Its setting is admittedly rather unlovely, a soulless industrial estate on the outskirts of town a little like Northwich or Stafford. And visitors were greeted by large piles of topsoil in the car park which awaited volunteers who had been invited to help distribute on the Sunday: bring your own shovel and wheelbarrow.
It was clean and welcoming inside, though, with friendly locals and a spacious clubhouse which included a mat bearing the club badge and the legend 'Bishop's Stortfort FC.' Close but no cigar. The facilities for spectators are gradually expanding, with modest seated stands on both sides of the pitch and covered terracing at both ends, and the grass was lush and verdant on the playing surface.
Stortford are about to start their seventh season in Conference South, but seem to have peaked in 2007 when they finished fifth behind runaway leaders Histon and lost in the playoff semi-finals to Salisbury City. A year later manager Martin Hayes left after ten years in charge and although they managed a top ten placing in 2009, they slumped to a mediocre eighteenth last season.
There were a couple of familiar faces in the main stand on Saturday in the forms of John Beck and Alan Lewer, the latter apparently because he has brought some young Korean players over to England, and two of them were on the bench, named Kim Jin Gu and Kim Seok Beom. There were a couple of more familiar names in the hosts' starting line-up in former U's defenders Stev Angus and Aiden Palmer, plus a midfielder named Jason Mason - his parents must be a scream - and a goalkeeper, Nicky Morgan, who must have been about 6'8": absolutely gigantic. It was also nice to note that they had two subs with the splendidly old-fashioned names of Bert (Greenwood) and Ted (Llewellyn). We looked forward to an excellent adventure.
United's starting line-up: Brown; Thorpe, Saah, Partridge, Jennings; Russell, Carden, Miller; Marriott, Wright, Platt.
In what was effectively a dress rehearsal for Wrexham next week, Martin Ling picked what will be most likely be his first XI, with only Kevin Roberts and Rory McAuley missing through injury. Daryl Clare was not yet ready for a start, but was named on the bench and took part in the warm-up. Adam Marriott earned a first-team place after his hat-trick at Bury and the team lined up in a 4-3-3 formation, now it seems Ling's favoured tactic. The new white third strip got another runout, and all of the players except young Jonathan Thorpe sported their squad numbers, including new number 16, Wayne Gray.
A decent crowd of 408 gathered, including a good number from Cambridge, on a reasonably warm day tempered by regular rain showers which persisted throughout the first half.
Ling's first choice formation is based on a solid spine (Saah and Partridge /Carden/Wright) with fluidity around it, which involved Platt and Marriott, and Miller and Russell, regularly swapping sides of the pitch, and full-backs who get forward when the team is on the attack. And the side was full of movement as they took the game to their hosts from the start with the sort of pleasing passing football that we expect from the boss.
Thorpe and Marriott combined to set up Adam Miller for United's first chance on 4, fired just wide by a player who is never afraid to shoot although occasionally tries to beat one man too many.
Five minutes later a corner was cleared to Paul Carden outside the box and he made an early bid for his annual blockbuster with a tremendous strike which Morgan pushed away for another flag-kick. Another couple of corners ensued, well swung in by Jennings and Miller, and the cloud-scraping keeper looked surprisingly uncertain in his handling, choosing to punch where he could surely have caught.
United continued to enjoy the better of possession, and took the lead on 19 with more of that Little & Large combination from Tuesday. Miller slipped the ball in to Marriott down the left channel inside the box, he controlled, looked up and rolled the ball back to Danny Wright lurking on the edge of the area, and although he was stretching slightly, he finished accurately and lethally low into the bottom left corner to leave Morgan helpless. 1-0.
Scott Shulton sent a bouncing free-kick wide for the hosts a couple of minutes later, but on 24 the U's doubled their lead after a superb passing move down the left. Jennings and Platt combined to send Simon Russell into the box, he squared it, Marriott could not get a good connection but it ran on to Miller arriving unmarked at the far post to ram home from close range. 2-0.
Inside half an hour, a by now rampant United were three up with their best goal so far. Russell evaded a number of tackles before sending a pinpoint ball down the left, releasing Jennings at pace to leave opponents trailing in his wake. At full speed he approached the byline, then arrowed over a cross which was inch-perfect for Wright to thunder in and head home with stunning power past the exposed Morgan. Great stuff: 3-0.
Simon Brown was called into action on 33, parrying Reece Prestedge's long-range belter, and he did even better to recover and block Shulton's follow-up, before the latter was flagged offside. He also clutched a decent shot from Nick Salapatas six minutes later as conditions became more slippery in the steady precipitation.
On 41 a clumsy foul by Dave Partridge handed a free-kick to the hosts from which Shulton's bullet header forced a magnificent diving block from Brown, but Salapatas latched onto the rebound and he forced a low shot home from the narrowest of angles at the far post. 3-1.
James Jennings had United's last chance of the half, marauding down the left again following good work from Russell and Marriott, but he fired straight at Morgan. It signalled the end of an excellent first half from United, whose movement, organisation and versatility had at times tempted one to start blathering excitedly about Total Football and the ghost of Rinus Michels. We'll leave the 'sexy football' to Ruud Gullit, though, shall we?
The rain had left off by the beginning of the second half, and within a couple of minutes a forward foray by Thorpe had gained a corner from which Jennings' inswinger found Brian Saah arriving at the far post to volley up and off the top of the upright.
The plucky hosts responded with a free-kick on 51 which Mason blasted hopelessly over the stand. Platt and Russell had shots blocked in quick succession, and a quarter of an hour in, Ling made three substitutions, withdrawing Wright, Marriott and Jennings in favour of Wayne Gray, Robbie Willmott and Josh Coulson. The former two slotted into the top end of the 4-3-3 while Partridge moved to left-back to accommodate Coulson.
Stortford also made their first changes, introducing Leon Antoine and Bai Mas 'Max' Latte Jallow, the impressively monickered Football in the Community Officer of Dagenham & Redbridge. The two Kims came on separately later.
United remained on top, although Gray is no line leader like Wright, and after Gray had sent a bouncer into Morgan's shovel-like hands, Sam Ives replaced Thorpe, with Russell moving to makeshift right-back. There would be no changing to 4-4-2 today.
On 68 Brown comfortably saved a Salapatas free-kick, and three minutes later Miller tried to curl a free-kick over the wall from 25 yards but chipped well over the top. On 74, however, the goal glut resumed. Carden sent Platt away down the right, he cut inside onto his favoured left foot and lofted another inch-perfect cross to Willmott in the middle, whose clever floated header back towards the near post beat Morgan all ends up. 4-1.
Two minutes later came the moment we had been waiting for all pre-season, as Daryl Clare trotted on to make his United debut in place of Platt. He took his place in the centre of attack with Gray going right.
Partridge was caught out by Duane Jackman, whose shot failed to trouble Brown, then in a bizarre incident Kim Jin Gu was allowed to re-enter the pitch just as Brown was throwing the ball out, ran straight into the space the ball was aimed at, picked up possession and set up Jackman to fire just wide of the far post.
On 82 a perceptive diagonal through ball from Salapatas bisected the United back four and sent Antoine away clear on goal down the middle, but he showed why he had been on the bench by panicking when he reached the area and miskicked feebly straight at Brown.
Four minutes later Carden sent Willmott away down the left, but Clare just failed to get the vital touch with a defender breathing down his neck, and a minute later the same two combined to send Clare away down the left channel, but he showed how rusty he was with a scuffed, mistimed shot well wide. The movement, positioning and awareness all seem to be in place, though.
Two minutes from time Stortford notched a rather fortunate second. Shulton picked up possession wide right, and his intended cross flew instead straight for goal from an unlikely angle and shot over Brown's bewildered head and in off the underside of the bar. 4-2.
Neither much-changed side could force another chance, and the ref's whistle sounded the start of the final countdown towards the start of the league campaign next week. It has been a fairly low-key pre-season, but the last two matches have shown that Ling has judged it just about perfectly, slowly building the players' fitness levels and moving towards a good team understanding and a system that best suits them. And today the 4-3-3, with the right personnel, worked spectacularly, with the constant switching of the players around a central core a tactic that should give many a rival outfit the runaround in the coming months. And CRC won 9-3.
May there be many such days this season. Strap yourselves in; it's going to be one hell of a ride!
Statto Corner
United have only ever played Bishop's Stortford in friendlies, and all away from home. They first met in a warm-up match for United's second season in the Football League, the U's winning 4-0 on 2nd August 1971 with goals from Ivan Hollett (2), Brian Greenhalgh and George Harris.
The teams met once in the Eighties (2-2, August 1984), United won 3-0 in August 2000 and 5-0 in July 2002, the scorers Terry Fleming, Tom Youngs, Shane Tudor, Adam Tann and an own goal. Their most recent meeting before this year was in February 2006, a match which saw Stortford's only win, by 1-0.
Stevland Angus made his debut for the U's after his release by West Ham on 11th August 2001 in a goalless home draw with Brighton. He went on play 159 times (plus 2 as sub) for United in all competitions, but scored only once. That was away at Boston on 17th September 2003, at right-back in a defence that also included Andy Duncan, Mark Venus and Stuart Bimson. Luke Guttridge gave the visitors the lead on half-time, Simon Weatherstone equalised just before the hour, and up popped Angus with the winner a minute from time, poking home from close range following a free-kick.
Stev played his last game in black'n'amber in a 1-0 home defeat by Lincoln on 30th October 2004. Following loan spells at Hull and Scunthorpe, he departed for good to Grays, then Barnet and Torquay. Somehow this most gifted of defenders lost his way, and at the age of 30 he has played in non-League for the last three years for Fisher Athletic, Braintree, Concord Rangers and now Bishop's Stortford.
Aiden Palmer made his U's debut on 16th January this year in a 1-0 home defeat by Eastbourne, and made a total of 14 appearances plus one as sub before his release after the last game of 2009-10 at Altrincham.
A total of 25 players have played for both United and Stortford over the last forty years, including Leo Fortune-West, David Chick, Mark Cooper, Mark Flatts, Gary Kimble, Michael Kyd, Ashley Nicholls, Lloyd Opara, Dave Simmons, John Turner and Stuart Wardley.
Player Ratings
Brown 7. A few excellent saves and overall looked very safe.
Thorpe 7. Another exceptionally mature performance from the baby of the side.
Saah 7. Never worried by the opposition.
Partridge 7. Very steady, although less convincing when he moved to left-back.
Jennings 8. Good as ever and provided a brilliant run and cross for the team's third goal.
Russell 8. Tireless and tenacious.
Carden 8. Excellent and deceptively unobtrusive in the main holding role.
Miller 8. A model of box-to-box industry.
Platt 7. Got involved well as he floated from wing to wing.
Marriott 7. Played his part without doing anything extraordinary, for a change.
Wright 9. Great line leader.
Coulson 7. No-nonsense.
Willmott 7. Good contribution.
Gray 7. Not bad, looked more comfortable when on the right that in the centre.
Ives 7. Solid turn.
Clare 7. Obviously rusty, but excellent movement and awareness; his touch will come with the minutes.
Match Summary
United wound up the season's prologue with a classy and well-deserved win notable for the high quality of its goals and the fluidity and movement of the players within an exciting 4-3-3 formation.
Man of the Match
Danny Wright. Led the line with strength, pace and skill, and two lethal finishes. If he can take this form into the Conference, any lingering doubts will quickly be banished.
Ref Watch
Hodges 7. Sensible and restrained.
Soundtrack of the Day
Dragonette "Fixin' To Thrill"
Andrew's previous match reports
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