Top form! Riviere's winner at Stortford sees Eastleigh top the form chart

BISHOPS STORTFORD v EASTLEIGH



TUESDAY 8th DECEMBER 2009
Blue Square South

Thanks to a late Anthony Riviere winner in a tight game away to Bishops Stortford, Eastleigh are currently top of the form table for the past six games. An impressive, unbeaten run of four wins and two draws stretching back to the end of October has seen the Spitfires bang in form and closing in on the play off places once again.

Report by Ray Murphy

With Eastleigh’s recent lack of punch in front of goal, the story of this match was the same as the recent games but a deflected shot from Anthony Riviere was enough to give Eastleigh a deserved three points at Bishops Stortford.

With the scheduled game against Weston Super Mare having been postponed the previous Saturday, Steve Cook’s one match suspension for his dismissal against Lewes was carried over to this fixture which meant the side was that which would have played in the Weston fixture. Danny Smith reverted to a right back role; the two wingers were Shaun McAuley and Tony Taggart with Peter Adeniyi and Riviere in central midfield roles. Andy Forbes partnered Jamie Brown in the strikers department. Jason Matthews returned in goal to replace the seemingly Wycombe Wanderers bound Steve Arnold.

The first chance on goal of the evening fell to the home side on seven minutes when Hassan Sulaiman’s cross was collected by Charlie Sheringham, with his father Teddy in the crowd. The striker, who is still the subject of a transfer fee being agreed following a summer move to Stortford from Welling United, lofted his effort above Matthews but against the bar. A minute later Tom Champion headed over from Louis Riddle’s corner.

There was little goalmouth action to follow until the thirty-second minute when Ben Nunn shot wide with a low drive from thirty yards after Riddle’s free kick had been half cleared. Three minutes later Taggart headed over a McAuley cross. On thirty-eight minutes Taggart was the provider of the cross but Brown this time headed over.

Eastleigh finished the first half the strongest with Forbes and Taggart both coming close. Jamie Brown also had a shot saved by Stortford goalkeeper Nicky Eyre.

Taggart’s scissor kick was just off target on fifty-one minutes but four minutes later Eastleigh had their luck to remain on level terms. Sulaiman's cross from the right found Sheringham at the far post where his low shot was pushed down by Matthews. Smith intervened making a telling clearance to prevent the ball crossing the line with Matthews claiming the loose ball before any Stortford player could meet it.

On sixty-seven minutes Taggart’s quick-thinking from a free kick had Eyre scurrying across his goal to scramble the ball away.

Eastleigh scored the only goal of the game in the seventy-seventh minute. Smith’s throw on the left flank into Brown saw the target man lay the ball off for Adeniyi. Pete in turn lofted the ball into the area for Tom Jordan to direct the ball down by his chest. A Stortford defender only managed to loft the ball back in the air, which was won by the aerial Gillespie back towards Forbes who cushioned his header into the path of Riviere. The former Fisher Athletic commanding midfielder let fly with a shot going to the right of the diving Eyre, struck Riddle and bounced back in the opposite direction into the net.

Gillespie’s back header from Poate’s cross was saved by Eyre on eighty-one minutes whilst the closest that Stortford came to grabbing an equaliser was two minutes later but Glenn Southam’s effort was too weak to trouble Matthews.