STORTFORD still lie in second place in the table despite this last minute defeat, but from the performance put in it could perhaps be said that their promotion wagon has come off the rails.

Martin Hayes elected to chop and change his team again. Gary Kimble and Joel Marie-Sainte were recalled as full backs, with Alex Riches moving to centre back and Ray Taylor sitting on the bench.o

Glen Southam again found himself on the bench as the midfield comprised Troy Braham, Lee Double, Carl Fannon and Carl Allison.

Despite not getting into their stride early on, and having Vinnie John cautioned for dissent, The Blues took a 14th minute lead. A good move involving John, Marie-Sainte and Trevor Paul saw the latter cross for Fannon to head home unmarked.

Yeading were soon back in the game and former Blue Jason Tucker caught out Marie-Sainte with a through-ball and Errol Telemaque drove across goal and past Micky Desborough.

The Ding earned a penalty when Telemaque broke through only to be brought down by Desborough. Then up stepped Tucker to put the spot kick into the left-hand corner.

The Blues showed more fight after the break but without really testing Matt Hodson in the hosts' goal.

The equaliser did arrive with a piece of quality in a match which was generally devoid of any. A fine run from John saw him feed Fannon who stroked the ball into the bottom corner past the despairing dive of Hodson.

From this point it seemed that Stortford had the ability and the pressure to grab another goal, but in the last ten minutes Yeading came at them.

Matt Miller fired home with six minutes to go, but this was given offside. However, Miller was not to be denied and he grabbed the Dings' winner deep into stoppage time with a scrappy goal.

This Saturday Stortford play host to Dulwich Hamlet at 3pm. The Blues' reserve team travelled to Boreham Wood on Wednesday, November 7. With Wood's first team not in action on the Saturday they were expected to field a strong side and the Blues crashed by two goals to nil.

Yeading3

Bishops Stortford2

(Ryman League Division One)

November 29, 2001 14:33