Gutsy Stotfold lose at Cockfosters

What a difference a couple of days of sunshine makes. Games were called off across the the league on Saturday due to waterlogged pitches, yet on Tuesday the Cockfosters pitch was what can only be described as a rock hard dust bowl.

The game started at a ferocious tempo with both teams not wanting to give an inch of ground. Stotfold had the better of the early exchanges with Tom Oram having a goal chalked off for being offside, becoming active after the initial shot came back off the keeper.

Then Anthony Wright went close after charging down an attempted clearance that ricocheted back towards the Cockfosters goal and had the keeper scrambling.

Then on 28 minutes, and against the run of play, a mix up in the Stotfold defence let the the Cockfosters centre forward Ben Andreos in for a simple tap in for 1-0.

In summing up the first half was a scrappy affair with both sides struggling to get the ball down and play. This was dictated in part by the state of the pitch, but in all honesty Stotfold definitely felt hard done by to go in a goal down.

In the second period it was more of the same with both teams cancelling each other out and little in the way of clear cut goalmouth chances until the hour mark, when a lofted ball into the Stotfold box was met unopposed with a firm header from Frazer John that lobbed Adam Harpur for 2-0.

With 15 minutes to go a blocked shot from Stotfold full back Paul Morris fell to the feet of Billy Baird who turned and hit through a crowd of players into the bottom corner for 2-1, setting up a grandstand finish.

Despite the best efforts of the Stotfold boys, who threw the proverbial kitchen sink at Cockfosters, it wasn’t to be.

It was a disappointing result to a game that Stotfold deserved to get something out of.

Effort, desire, passion and will to win was there for all to see, they just lacked a little composure in the final third.

Stotfold visit Oxhey Jets on Thursday, April 21. They have a free weekend but then host Berkhamsted on Tuesday, April 26.