Thurrock - alternative report by Runwell

[Dagger03]

I don't know who Runwell is - he goes to matches in the Essex area.- he was at Purfleet yesterday and this is the report that appeared on the another forum.

 

FA Carlsberg Trophy, Third Qualifying Round

Thurrock 0(0)-(2)5 AFC Hornchurch

Ship Lane, Purfleet nr Grays, Essex

Attendance: 211 (seemed more than that)

Admission: £12. Didn't purchase programme

 

Also purchased from clubhouse: Can of Pepsi 80p

 

Had a bit of a shock on the way here, heading for the A13, discovering the weekend works at Sadlers Farm that had been confirmed as suspended at weekends for Christmas, were in fact, back in place again. Took nearly half an hour to get through it, though nowhere near as bad as previous occasions. Did eventually get to Thurrock by 2:45, then spent a good ten minutes trying to squeeze into a parking space with little room to turn. I was surprised the overflow car park opposite the road was not in use but in the end everyone managed to squeeze in including using the road to the hotel.

 

Quite a few Urchins fans made the short five mile trip for this one, probably outnumbering the home support. Apart from county and Ryman cup games, I think this was the first competitive meeting by these sides since the old Hornchurch went bust. Former Hornchurch manager and now chairman Colin McBride was also manager at Ship Lane for many years including their previous guise of Purfleet, before his acrimonious departure, though I didn't see him in the director's box this afternoon, perhaps staying away? The AFC probably started as favourites for this one, flying high in Ryman Prem in second position, with the Fleet still in the bottom three of Blue Square South in spite of vital wins against teams around them recently. However I was reminded of an FA Cup game I saw a few weeks back with a similar situation to today's between Grays and Aveley, and the predicted upset never happened there. Would lightning strike twice I wondered?

 

It didn't take long for me to find out. As early as the seventh minute the lower league side went in front, when a free kick from the right by Jonathan Hunt thirty yards out on the right seemed to go straight into the far corner, past the flat footed keeper David Hughes. Thurrock struggled to get back into the game, often losing their discipline as their frustration took over. They were lucky not to go two behind when Martin Tuohy's excellent chip on the edge of the box hit the top of the bar. It was almost too easy for Hornchurch, and their fans agreed - "Sunday league". It took twenty minutes for Fleet to have an effort on goal, and that was a well wide shot from the edge of the box, though shortly after ex Thurrock keeper Joe Woolley did well to just beat an attacker going up for a high ball.

It was still the Urchins on top, with first Smith having a shot just over, then after Hughes dropped a cross under the pressure the ball was somehow scrambled away, though on the break a good move saw the Thurrock no. 4 have a shot that went just past the far corner. On 35 minutes however, the Urchins got clear daylight with a super goal, when some nice build-up play ended with Lewis Smith threading a ball through to Tuohy who got behind the Fleet defence and slid under Tuohy to send the away support into raptures. Just before half time they almost made the game safe on the break, when Joe Anderson, with few options, had a go from the by-line 25 yards out, and it only just went past the angle of post and bar - a good effort.

 

At half time Robbie Garvey made a substitution to get his side back in it, but just two minutes in were hit by a killer sucker-punch, when from a free kick, Edwards and his defence got in a muddle, and Simon Glover was able to nod into the corner. Game over, upset more or less achieved. Glover nearly scored against shortly after with a shot that must have shaved the far post on its way out of play. At last, Thurrock began to show some fight, and came close on 52 minutes when a nice move ended in Paul Terry's shot outside the box smashing against the bar, but from the rebound the ball was so badly mishit, it knocked out an Urchins defender for several minutes, needed a fair bit of treatment. The pressure continued, with Lee Boylan twice going close - first a nice turn and shot brought a good save from Woolley, then the keeper just beat Boylan to a through ball.

On the hour mark however, any slim hopes of a Fleet fightback were ended, and in such an easy and predictable way. Hornchurch won a free kick in front of goal 30 yards out, and I saw a player peel off to the left, and was ignored for several seconds. What happens - ball is passed to him and he runs unopposed into the box to fire into the top corner. It just summed up Thurrock's abysmal afternoon, and it got worse moments later, when what looked like a horror lunge from a Thurrock player brought him a straight instant red, which lead to a few scuffles before the player finally returned to the dressing room. Luckily the Urchin lad was OK, but it looked very bad. And to sum up the Fleet woe, sub Dwaine Smith was taken off less than twenty minutes after coming on.

As the game entered the final corner, Hornchurch looked likely to score more, coming close when a ball on the left evaded everyone inside the six yard box. Aside from a chip just over, the home side looked toothless still, prompting away fans to chant "Worse than Stanway Rovers"! Even the Thurrock players in front of me in the stand were not amused including a Scouse lad. Things got even worse for their team with three minutes left, when they were reduced to nine men after a player got a second yellow, possibly for dissent. He went to sit in the dugout and went to put a bib on, but was told to go elsewhere. And five star Hornchurch weren't done, as right at the end a ball from the right fell to sub Michael Spencer who fired into the top far corner from the edge of the box.

 

Not a greatly surprising result, but the scoreline certainly was. Forget the gusty and chilly wind, it was Hornchurch who simply blew a dreadful Thurrock away today. They virtually controlled the whole game, and it wouldn't surprise me if both teams swap divisions next season, based on this showing. Neither side probably have the Trophy as a priority this season for different reasons, but the Urchins I'm sure would like a Luton or any other big Conference club in the First Round Proper draw on monday.

[Eastside Urchin]

I like this bloke

[cup of tea]

This is the second report that I've seen from this guy and thought that it was fair. Good stuff.

[kimbles left foot]

Yeah, every report I have read from him has been spot on.

Edited November 27, 2011 by kimbles left foot

[Miss.A.F.C.Hornchurch]

That is a good report!