Stotfold grab Wembley point in fight for survival

Stotfold grabbed a precious point on Tuesday in their fight to escape the drop from the SSML Premier Division.
Leighton Town vs Stotfold. Pic: Andrew ParkerLeighton Town vs Stotfold. Pic: Andrew Parker
Leighton Town vs Stotfold. Pic: Andrew Parker

They earned an impressive 2-2 draw at home to high-flying Wembley.

However they will be frustrated it wasn’t all three points as they led their visitors by two goals at the break.

Tom Oram put them ahead early on and the same man extended the lead in first half injury time.

Wembley struck back early in the second half and were level on 56 minutes, and that’s the way it stayed.

It followed a 1-0 loss at fellow Bedfordshire strugglers Leighton Town on Saturday.

Stotfold made the early running in the game at Bell Close. And the visitors should have taken an early lead when Michael Simpson took aim for the bottom corner but keeper Jack Sillitoe made a brilliant low save to push it past the post.

Sillitoe then outdid himself with a superb triple save to keep the game goalless.

The Eagles thought they had gone 1-0 up early in the second half when skipper Kamal Romain broke and slotted through Sillitoe’s legs but he was offside.

This seemed to put the wind in Stotfold’s sails but again Sillitoe was there to make another double save; Drew Cardine’s shot was first palmed away before Sillitoe then claimed the second shot.

Then the tables began to turn back in Leighton’s favour, Dom Marsala squared it across goal but Vinny Greco couldn’t quite get the contact to put it in the net.

Leighton then went 1-0 up a few minutes later, Lorrel Smith made a lovely run on the far side and squared it to Martin Griggs and he nestled his shot in the bottom corner.

Leighton should have made the result a certainly but Smith’s shot came back off the post.

One positive for Stotfold is that their next four games are all at home.

The run begins with lowly London Tigers on Saturday followed by sixth placed Welwyn Garden City on Tuesday.