Recap
The competitive season got underway on a lovely, warm, sunny day at Heritage Park as Bishops’ fielded no fewer than six debutants and a further two return debuts. The start of the game was noted for its uneventfulness, with a pedestrian pace being played out on the sun-drenched pitch.
Bishops won a corner in the 21st minute, which was cleared out to Risbrough, who floated a ball back into the box, which allowed Thexton to get in front of the keeper and bundle the ball into an empty net to open his and the team’s account for the season.
Whickham looked threatening on the break every now and again, and it was a set piece which brought the ‘Lang Jacks’ level four minutes before half time when Johnson got ahead of his marker in the box to plant a header past Gordon at his near post.
Van Zandvielt momentarily thought he had put Bishops’ back in front five minutes after the restart, but it was chalked off for a foul; however, the imposing midfielder did grab his goal just seven minutes later after a Whitfield free kick was parried up in the air, and he raced onto the loose ball to knock home. The same player was again involved in what was a great chance to open up a two-goal lead when the impressive Whitfield whipped in a cross, and Van Zandvielt headed just wide with the goal at his mercy.
The plucky Northern Leaguers finished the game strongly as they piled bodies forward in search of a shock equaliser, and this arrived deep into stoppage time when a shot was fired in and Van Zandvielt smothered the ball with his hands. Lavery stepped up to coolly place his penalty kick past the diving Gordon and force a replay at the ‘Glebe’ on Wednesday evening.
Match report by Gavin Hadden
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