Lucky seven it isn't but Hitchin Town should have really beaten Bishop's Stortford.

They went down 2-1 in the Southern League Premier Division Central, their seventh loss in seven games, never recovering from conceding two goals in the opening 16 minutes.

But after George Morrall pulled one back, Hitchin created plenty of glorious chances that should have at least brought a draw, if not the win.

They will curse their luck but hopes will have increased that the bad streak will be snapped sooner rather than later.

Manager Brett Donnelly made two changes from Saturday's loss to Alvechurch.

Rio Deall and Daniel Stokoe were the duo brought in with Toby Syme and Connor Roberts making way.

The predicament they find themselves means a lack of confidence should not have come as a surprise but defensively, the Canaries were at sixes and sevens in the first half.

They almost conceded in the first minute when they failed to react to a loose ball from Ciaren Jones and were behind in eight minutes.

Daniel Sears got his head to a right-wing cross and although it fell to the unmarked Bradley Russell 22 yards out, there appeared little danger.

The volley that followed though was guided deftly to the right of Kyle Forster who could do nothing but watch it drift past him.

Eight minutes later the goalkeeper was much more involved, although his defence did him no favours either.

A corner from the left beat the gaggle at the near post and dropped seemingly perfectly for the keeper.

He didn't catch the flight of the ball though, or the ball itself, and after it bounced off him, it rolled loose to the unmarked Ryan Charles who had the difficult task of picking from the multitude of places in the net to put the ball.

At that point Hitchin looked dead and buried but slowly they stirred and they pulled one back at a fairly opportune moment, 10 minutes after conceding the second.

Lewis Franklin supplied the cross from the right, dropping the ball right in the middle of the six-yard box for the unmarked Morrall to get enough of a touch on it and put it beyond Charles Binns.

And that signalled a good period for the home side.

Jack Dreyer was off target from a corner and then Morrall pinged another effort over the top.

Stephen Gleeson went the closest with a drive from 25 yards that was only a foot or so over the top.

Hitchin still looked capable of imploding at the back though and an error from Sears allowed Russell to close in.

He had Franklin putting him under pressure though and his shot was well pushed away by Forster.

The opening 15 minutes of the second half saw chances at both ends, and both should have been taken.

Stortford had the first as Kian Harness went through but inexplicably he slipped it past he post as well as the keeper.

Hitchin's fell to Rio Deall who was slipped in down the left of the box by Coree Wilson. His shot though lacked any sort of conviction and was easily kicked clear by Binns.

The home side had another two good chances in the same passage of play as the clock moved into the final quarter.

Morrall had the first drive which the keeper could only palm straight out, the rebound eventually fell to Dreyer and although he hit it well, it was straight into the midriff of Binns.

Hitchin had an even more glorious opportunity with 11 minutes to go.

Cole Dasilva's back pass was woefully under-hit and it gave Liam Brooks a one-on-one chance.

He had Wilson to his left but he only had eyes on goal. However, his attempt to put it through the legs of the keeper was blocked and Binns grabbed the chipped ball back into the middle.

All the chances late on were Hitchin's.

Daniel Stokoe had a lovely dipping drive that Binns did very well to react to and then there was a block on the line as Jones met the resulting corner.

There was a huge shout for a Hitchin penalty as Wilson was brought down by Binns. However, the referee blew for a dive and booked the Hitchin man.

Match details

Hitchin Town (1) 1 Bishop's Stortford (2) 2

Hitchin Town: Forster, Franklin, Jones, Gleeson (Titchmarsh 53), Sears, Barker, Morrall, Dreyer, Wilson, Stokoe, Deall (Brooks 67).

Subs (not used): Syme, Rolfe, Quinlivan.

Goals: Morrall 26

Booked: Stokoe 40, Gleeson 47, Franklin 54, Barker 61, Wilson 90+1

 

Bishop's Stortford: Binns, Dasilva, Warner-Eley, Oluwatimiilehin (Moutafawiq 67), Thompson, Haines, Castle (Virciglio 73), Harness, Russell (Scott 49), Charles (Roberts 70), Amu.

Subs (not used): Ogwuazor.

Goals: Russell 8, Charles 16

Booked: Charles 54, Warner-Eley 64, Roberts 74, Moutafawiq 90+3

 

Added time: 1+5

Referee: Jordan Crossley

Attendance: 378