Northern League Division 1
22 November 2008
Team: Chris Porter, Arjun Purewal, Darren Richardson (Gustavo Di
Lella 83mins), Kevin Dixon, Andrew
Davies, Ian Lowe, Lewis Hardman, Joseph Fairish, Gavin Barton, Gavin Parkin,
Amar Purewal
Still more disappointment as Bishops lost a thrilling game at
a windswept Sunderland Nissan. Bishops
defensive problems weren’t helped today with the absence of Langley and
Wilkinson, and when Gary Ankers picked up an injury in the warm up things didn’t
look great. Andrew Davies and Ian Lowe
came in for debuts and Steven West was on the bench.
Bishops
made an aggressive start and in the first minute Gavin Parkin fired a shot from
25 yards which flew just past the far post.
However,
Bishops defence was static on 3 minutes after a ball was slotted through the
back line on the floor leaving the forward with an easy shot for 1-0.
The
away side continued to press though and on 11 minutes Parkin unleashed another
good shot from range which saw the ‘keeper diving low to his right and blocking
the shot with an outstretched arm.
On
20 minutes it was Amar Purewal and Lewis Hardman combining well. Hardman broke into the box and cut the ball
back from the goal line, but a Nissan toe prodded it out of the reach of the
attacking Barton and Parkin.
Bishops
were level on 32 minutes when a clipped ball over the top found Parkin who
stretched to prod the ball past the advancing ‘keeper. A slight glove slowed the ball enough to allow
Nissan right back Griffith to get back for what looked like a routine goal-line
clearance but instead he knocked it into the net to make it 1-1.
More
poor defending minutes later though as another ball through the heart of the
defence left Porter defending alone, and although he saved the initial effort,
Nissan forwards were queuing up to make it 2-1.
Rarely has a goal celebration been so muted.
Porter
made another great save from the second of a run of three corners to keep
Bishops in the game.
Bishops
were on the attack at the start of the second half, and Parkin crashed a shot
against the bar in the 47th minutes. Barton’s follow up hit the post, but the
referee was also indicating an offence in the build up.
Bishops
had the ball in their own half on 55 minutes, and Joe Fairish lay injured on
the turf. Inexplicably, instead of
putting the ball out to allow the midfielder some treatment, the ball was
played forward, but Nissan won it and countered. A man down, Nissan found some clear space to
knock in a third.
The
gap should have been narrowed on 61 minutes when the referee, who exhibited a
lenient nature all afternoon, ignored a clear two handed push on Barton in the
area. After getting back to his feet,
Barton turned to fire a shot just over.
On
63 minutes Bishops were back in the game when Amar Purewal was strong in his
challenge for a ball over the top from Hardman and shrugged off the attentions
of his marker before firing the ball past the ‘keeper.
Although
still looking vulnerable at the back, Bishops midfield and forwards were
rampand for the final third of the game but couldn’t force the equaliser their
performance deserved. Nissan were
reduced to pumping the ball out of defence, running the clock down and an
endless stream of fouls.
In
the 72nd minute Hardman was hacked down on the edge of the box. Gavin Barton took the free kick, hitting the
bar with a thud before the ball rebounded to safety.
Amar
Purewal set up Fairish for a shot on 75 minutes but the midfielder fired just
wide of the post. The goal didn’t look
like it was coming, and when the home keeper spilled a shot on 87 minutes the
ball spun backwards towards the line before being recovered at the second
attempt. Once again, this just wasn’t
looking like Bishops day.
Another defeat, but a performance with some promise. Four home games to come which may well define
the season.