Non-League and Academy football writer

On Sunday afternoon I traveled out to Bishop’s Stortford, to watch an Isthmian League North Division fixture, between Enfield FC and Bowers & Pitsea, at Bishop’s Stortford’s R&D Advisors Stadium. Going into the game, Enfield FC were in 15th place in the league, with Bowers & Pitsea in ninth place. However, the game would be won by the away side, who deservedly won 3-1 against Enfield. Bowers & Pitsea started the game well, and a good early passing move from the visitors, resulted in Matt Price having an effort on goal well blocked by Enfield player Joshua Bardoleau. Following a cross into the Enfield penalty area from Lewis Chambers, Manny Oluwasemo had a headed effort on goal saved by Enfield goalkeeper George Edgeworth. Soon after that chance, TQ Addy hit an effort wide of the Enfield goal, from the edge of their penalty area. And the same Bowers & Pitsea player would, a couple of minutes later, have a powerful effort on goal from just inside the Enfield box, saved and pushed away by George Edgeworth.

A good lay off for Bowers & Pitsea player Jack Thompson, on the edge of the Enfield box, would result in Thompson having an effort on goal deflected behind by a defender, for a corner kick. After Manny Oluwasemo had met a header on from a teammate, he went into the Enfield box, before hitting a powerful effort on the bounce, wide of the goal. Bowers & Pitsea were in control of the game, and just after Manny Oluwasemo headed an effort wide from a Jack Thompson corner kick, Matt Price hit an effort wide from the left side of the Enfield box, in what was the final chance of a one sided first half. However, Bowers & Pitsea would get a deserved opening goal, early on in the second half, thanks to Manny Oluwasemo. After latching onto Matt Price’s lofted forward pass, the Bowers & Pitsea centre-forward brought the ball down inside the Enfield box, before calmly side-footing the ball into the bottom left corner of George Edgeworth’s goal.

Enfield tried to respond almost immediately, from a Morgan Mahoney effort from distance that went wide, before Bowers & Pitsea doubled their lead. After the ball had been laid off to Lewis Chambers on the edge of the home side’s penalty area, the influential Bowers & Pitsea midfielder whipped a low effort with the side of his right boot, towards the Enfield goal. However, his low effort took a deflection off of an Enfield defender, wrong footing the Enfield goalkeeper, as the ball went into the bottom right corner of the goal. Less than two minutes later on 67 minutes, Bowers  & Pitsea made sure of the win. A free-kick delivery from TQ Addy, into the Enfield box, managed to find Manny Oluwasemo, who got a foot on the ball to give it to Lewis Chambers, who then found the back of the Enfield goal from close range. The next real chance of the game arrived on 80 minutes, and it would end with Enfield getting a goal back in the game, through Billy Purdy. After the Bowers & Pitsea defence had switched off inside their penalty area, Billy Purdy met a good cross into the box. He then sent a good, looping header into the right corner of goalkeeper Jordan Carey’s goal. 

Late efforts, first from Lewis Chambers, who hit an effort wide of the Enfield goal for the edge of their box, and then from Frankie Franz for Enfield, who saw his effort from distance go wide, were the final real chances of the game. This was a good game of football, but it was the away side, Bowers & Pitsea, who deserved to take all three points with them back to Essex. For me, Bowers & Pitsea centre-forward Manny Oluwasemo (his leading of the line was very good, and he got a deserved goal), and the influential Bowers & Pitsea midfielder Lewis Chambers, who got a brace, were the real standout performers on the day. However, it was a good team performance from Bowers & Pitsea, on Sunday afternoon.