Blues make a point on the final day of the season
10:19am Monday 28th April 2008
FOOTBALL
Bishop's Stortford 1
Bath City 1
(Blue Square South) BISHOP'S Stortford scored a late equaliser to end Bath City's play-off hopes and at least end their own season on a positive note.
Greg Pearson notched his 27th league goal of the season in the 84th minute to end the campaign as joint-top scorer in the division.
The Blues had been in the hunt for a top five finish all season but a run of six games without a win put paid to that.
However, taking a point off rivals Bath - who themselves would have had a chance of making the play-offs with a win - was a decent result given the dampening end to the season.
"It was a horrible end of season game for us," explained Blues boss Martin Hayes.
"Asking the players to get up for one more game after a flat run-in was difficult.
"I still wanted wanted us to finish sixth or seventh - in those single figures - but to finish as high as we have in this league is a good achievement.
"I've no real major complaints. We are in illustrious company when teams like Havant, Eastleigh and Newport don't make the play offs."
Stortford started the game positively and Matt Jones forced a good save from City keeper Paul Evans after just six minutes.
At this stage, good defending from the visitors kept them in the match.
Bath were fired up in the second half and Blues stopper Joe Welch made a superb save on 58 minutes from Sam Foley.
Darren Edwards then somehow scooped over from five yards.
The visitor's pressure was finally rewarded on 77 minutes when Foley slotted the ball home.
But their joy was shortlived when Pearson equalised late on for a share of the points.
Bishop's Stortford: Welch, Jones, Lunan, Edwards, Patten (Joynes 84), Gillman, Fazakerley, Champion (Langer 55), Pearson, Harris (Gaisie 79), Deen. Unused subs: Young, Yao.