Mongoy strikes - but it's in vain for Bognor at Bishop's Stortford

They went behind by two goals before Mongoy's fine strike gave them hope. But an 86th minute goal from the hosts killed off the game and any hopes of a draw from the Rocks against a very physical side.

Bognor travelled to Bishop's Stortford off the back of a home win at Nyewood Lane on Saturday against Potters Bar Town 2-0. One main change saw Nathan Odokonyero moved to the bench and Kayne Diedrick-Roberts started. James Crane was missing through work commitments but Bognor were still able to field a full bench.

Darren Foxley had the first chance of the game. He ran through the middle before striking low from outside the box. He forced Amadou Tangara into a save, diving to his left to gather it. Jack Thomas curled the ball into the box and Tangara had to catch that one high in the air as it was a fairly cagey start from Bognor’s point of view.

Chris Harris sprayed the ball out wide for Jonny Giles but he hit his cross high over the bar. Giles was almost set through again but Tangara pounced out of his goal to kick it away again on the edge of his box. Jake Flannigan played a high ball forward down the line and Dan Gifford ran onto it. He was blocked off though in Bognor's first half chance in the 12th minute.

Ashton Leigh lost possession but Harvey Hughes took the loose ball. His pass forward was wayward though and rolled out of play for a goal kick. Calvin Davies won a throw in with a nice block closing the ball down deep inside Stortford's penalty area. Soon after Jordy Mongoy and Flannigan combined but Flannigan’s cross was harmless and flew off for a goal kick.

Joe Dandy lobbed a long throw into the area. Gifford missed it in the area and then Mongoy tried to turn with it but slipped as he did so and it rolled harmlessly to Jack Giddens on 18 minutes. Leigh threw a long ball into the area from the right. It landed straight to Mongoy who controlled it on the edge of the 6-yard box with his right knee, before turning and hitting it high over the bar on the volley after just 20 minutes.

Gifford did well to run onto a long pass over the top. He was fouled but played on and eventually won a throw in. Then following this they were awarded a corner. Leigh played it short to Gifford on 30 minutes, but Leigh, when he received the pass back, smashed his strike off the defender.

Giles got a cross in from the left. He was looking for Frankie Merrifield but a neat header from Dandy saw the ball off com back off the striker and out of play on 31 minutes. Mark Haines left the ball for Giddens as a forward pass had to be booted clear by the goalkeeper in a mix up at the back for the hosts.

Tangara was called into action as he dived low to deny a dipping cross fom the right by Giles as the hosts were looking the more dangerous of the two sides. Billy Cracknell beat his marker on the left before belting a cross wide of the goal, much to Tangara's relief as he took the goal kick. Johnville Renee did well to get a great cross in from the right. He found Merrfield in the area but he directed his header wide of goal on 38 minutes.

Bishop's Stortford went ahead on 45 minutes. Diedrick-Roberts was beaten into the area by Renee who managed to cut the ball back for Harris who deagged it in low from the pass on his first touch just before half time. HT 1-0

Ethan Robb replaced Flannigan at right back at half-time after Flannigan received another knock inside a very physical first half. Ben Marlow went to ground under an early second half challenge from Leigh. Giles spun it in which was knocked down by Robb before being cleared by Hughes.

Diedrick-Roberts received a pass beyond the defence in response. He tried to put the ball back across the goalkeeper but Giddens instead got something onto it for a corner on 48 minutes. Harris looked offside as he received a through ball and he ran on before playing a cross square towards Foxley but he went to ground but there was no contact made and the ball eventually was cleared.

A quick pass through defence saw Harris who cut it across the 6 yard box. Diedrick-Roberts was back defending but failed to clear the danger before Merrifield poked it in from point blank range on 53 minutes. After the goal, Diedrick-Roberts had to receive treatment and he was replaced by Odokonyero on 56 minutes.

Harris and Cook were battling on the left flank. Cook therefore went into the book after his challenge on 58 minutes. Ryan Henshaw headed the ball straight from a Giles freekick and he rattled the right post. Haines was also blocked as the ball fell to him on the rebound.

Davies hit a long free-kick into the area on 60 minutes. He found the head of Cook but his header, knocked towards goal powerfully was steered straight at Giddens. Bognor got an unlikely goal back. Gifford received a decent forward pass by Robb and he turned before passing on the overlap to Mongoy and it was his direct run that allowed him to power a shot high into the top left corner from a difficult angle on 63 minutes.

Giles was weaving his way through the Rocks defenders and released a pass to Anthony Church but after squaring up and composing himself he could only slice his left footed strike well wide. Then Marlow received the knock on by Merrifield before knocking it through to Harris but he was flagged offside.

Hughes was replaced by Charlie Bell on 74 minutes in Bognor's last change. Davies powered a free-kick in after Cook was fouled. Again the Bishop's Stortford defence were solid in the air and headed it out of the area.

Leigh gave away another silly freekick allowing the hosts another chance. Giles curled in the freekick onto the back post and it was Church that diverted it onto the underside of the crossbar with his header, and it bounced out again. Davies powered in a corner and Leigh was deflected out at the near post and then the second and third corners in a row were all dealt with by the hosts.

A forward ball by Davies saw Mongoy on the run and he knocked it off the defender for a clear corner but the referee bizarrely awarded a goal kick. Another costly mistake saw Davies give the ball away out of the penalty area and it fell straight to Foxley who pounced before running forward slightly and shooting it low and into the bottom left corner of the net on 86 minutes.

Davies was booked soon after for a foul on the halfway line as Bognor’s heads dropped slightly after conceding the third goal. A long ball forward from a free-kick by Leigh and it bounced out to Bell who was blocked with his chance on the rise outside the box.

Leigh won a corner right into stoppage time. It was flapped at by Giddens but the referee blew his whistle to end the game and it was over for Bognor. They take on Wingate & Finchley next, away from home, on Saturday 29 January, 3pm.

Rocks: Tangara, Flannigan (Robb HT), Hughes (Bell 74), Dandy, Cook, Robson (c), Diedrick-Roberts (Odokenyero 56), Davies, Gifford, Leigh, Mongoy. Subs not used: Brook, Wyatt.