LOWESTOFT 3 HORNCHURCH 0

[Dagger03]

Saturday 02-November-2013

LOWESTOFT  3  HORNCHURCH  0

 

LFC – Ashlee Jones – Curtley Williams – Adam Smith – Erkan Okay – Dan Gleeson © - Sam Gaughran – Lee Smith (Michael Frew 75) – Rossi Jarvis – Jake Reed (Connor Doddington 90+4) – Jack Ainsley – Robert Eagle

Subs – Stuart Ainsley – Luke Bailey – Jake Jessup

 

HFC – Inigo Echepare – Phil Starkey  (Tambeson Eyong 57) – Alex Bentley – Rickie Hayles – Elliot Styles © - Frankie Curley – Dave Rainford - Joey May (Ade Yusuff 71) – Carl Rook – George Purcell - Leigh Bremner (Chris Bourne 57 )

Subs –Billy Coyne - Sam Lechmere

 

Scorers – Eagle 50 - Smith 52 – Gaughran 75

Bookings – Hayles 71 (H) – Smith 90 (L) – Jarvis 90+3 (L)

Attendance 530

Officials – George Sprague with Will Hardie and Ash List

Duration 48.23 + 50.11

Weather – cloudy with showers, 14 degrees, wind speed up to 25 mph

 

LOWESTOFT  3  HORNCHURCH  0

Hornchurch lost their unbeaten away record, and despite the windswept conditions and hostile crowd, who at times appeared lacking in even a basic knowledge of the rules, they cannot complain about the outcome.

 

Lowestoft started confidently and could have taken the lead when Alex Bentley was caught in possession, allowing Jake Reed to get in a hard shot that Inigo Echepare turned away for a corner.

 

Dave Rainford, making his debut for Hornchurch, incurred the ire of the home followers with a hard tackle, which also incurred the ire of the referee, and when Phil Starkey conceded a free kick close to the edge of the area, Echepare again saved in fine fashion, diving to catch Robert Eagle’s well struck shot.

 

Hornchurch almost took the lead with their first attacking move, when George Purcell gained possession from Starkey’s throw, turned inside the defender, and fired in a hard shot which was curling into the net until keeper Ashlee Jones deflected the ball around the post – for a goal kick, to the surprise of many in the crowd.

 

And it was Starkey and Purcell who again combined, to give Leigh Bremner a shooting chance, only for the ball to flash wide of the goal.

 

Joey May forced Jones into making a good save with a hard shot from thirty yards out, and then the home side began to force the pace. Phil Starkey made an excellent tackle to stop the ever-dangerous Jack Ainsley, whilst Eagle fired in a hard drive, which came back off the underside of the bar, Elliot Styles then hooking the ball away to safety, and Echepare made an excellent diving save to turn a goal bound shot from Eagle out for a corner, which Sam Gaughran took and eased the pressure by putting his kick behind the goal and into the crowd. Close to half time Ainsley twice found a way through on the left, but on both occasions his cross came to nothing, Echepare saving the first, whilst the second went begging across the goalmouth.

 

The wind increased in intensity during the interval and Hornchurch found themselves now playing into the very difficult conditions, with a light shower adding to the gloom.

 

Hornchurch again had a chance to take the lead when Bremner won a corner. May swung the ball over and Bremner placed his header over the bar.

 

But Lowestoft effectively won the match with two goals in the space of two minutes, both largely due to solo runs, and both from the left. First ROBERT EAGLE found himself in plenty of space to run through and strike the ball hard past Echepare, and then ADAM SMITH found himself in a similar position and scored with a repeat performance.

 

Tambeson Eyong and Chris Bourne replaced Bremner and Starkey, Tambeson playing out on the right and Bourne on the left, and it was Eyong who made a telling run before slipping the ball inside to Dave Rainford, whose shot was saved by Jones, who then dealt with a May corner.

 

Joey May was then replaced by Ade Yusuff, and Lowestoft then won three corners in succession, from the third of which SAM GAUGHRAN headed home at the far post.

 

Hornchurch struggled with the strong near gale force wind in their faces, and their long high ball down the middle tactics were ineffective, with the ball curling back and falling well short on a number of occasions. Carl Rook had the best chance when he weaved through but could not get in a shot, whilst a Frankie Curley run met the same fate.

 

Three nil was perhaps a reasonable reflection on the overall play,