Blue Square Conference South Saturday 26 April 2008 - Woodside Park - kick off 3.00pm

Report taken from

Stortford, whose own hopes of finishing in a play-off place vanished on Tuesday night, threatened first, with right-back Matt Jones seeing a rising drive from 25 yards tipped over by Paul Evans on six minutes. Matt Coupe then threw his body in the way of a goal-bound shot from Ahmed Deen after recalled top-scorer Pearson laid the ball off. The hosts were playing the better football, backed by a noisy blue-clad following behind Evans' goal, but Phillip Walsh had a chance to silence them in the 13th minute when he sent a free header from Jim Rollo's long ball straight at keeper Joe Welch. Coupe picked up the game's first caution when he clattered into Pearson 25 yards from goal, Deen curling the resulting free-kick harmlessly wide of Evans' left post. At the other end, a weak pass from Rob Gillman fell straight for Walsh and he threaded the ball through for Dave Gilroy, who was just beaten to it by the advancing Welch. Foley looked City's most likely source of a goal throughout, linking up with the strikers from the right, and smashed a shot wide from distance after cutting inside. The hosts finished the half as they had started it - on top - and just before the break it took a great tackle from Coupe to deny Pearson in the box as the Stortford dangerman shaped to shoot, with Rollo blocking Deen's follow-up effort.

City were boosted at the interval by the news that play-off rivals Eastleigh were trailing 2-0 at Thurrock, while Braintree's home match with Eastbourne was goalless. But while those scorelines were going their way, Relish's men had to find a goal themselves if they were to have any hope of forcing their way into the top five in the final 45 minutes of the season. And they were forced into a change for the start of the second period, with Sekani Simpson replacing Gethin Jones at right-back, the latter turning an ankle midway through the first half. The visitors struggled to make headway for the opening 10 minutes of the half, with some lively attacking bursts from Pearson and Loui Fazakerley keeping them on their toes. But they went close on 58 minutes after Gilroy latched on to Adie Harris' pass and fed Foley in space on the right, but Welch beat away the young midfielder's shot for City's first corner. Ledgister replaced the ineffective Wood for the final 26 minutes and Darren Edwards soon followed him into the fray, with Walsh making way. And it was Edwards who squandered a glorious opportunity to put City in the driving seat with 17 minutes to go. Welch failed to claim Ledgsiter's cross from the left and the ball fell for Simpson at the far post. He unselfishly squared for his fellow substitute, who was six yards out and faced with an empty net, but looked on in horror as his effort cleared the bar. But Edwards' blushes were spared by the impressive Foley on 76 minutes. Having just seen a fierce drive clear the bar, the on-loan Cheltenham man kept a cool head to beat a covering defender on the line with his shot after Gilroy had diverted the ball away from Welch from Edwards' right-wing cross. The goal sparked wild scenes as Foley celebrated with the City fans behind the goal, earning a booking for his trouble. It had fans frantically checking on events at Thurrock and Braintree, but their joy was short-lived. Deen found space on the left and Pearson finally broke free of Coupe's shackles to touch home the winger's low cross from close range. The equaliser knocked the stuffing out of City and Stortford had a couple of late chances to rub their noses in it. Pearson got past Evans on the left after bursting clear of the defence with a well-timed run, but shot over an unguarded net from an acute angle, while Fazakerley fired into the side-netting after out-witting Rollo. A stoppage-time City corner came to nothing and the final whistle shortly afterwards signalled the end of their play-off dreams.