LOWESTOFT 3 HORNCHURCH 0 - report

[Dagger03]

Monday 05-May-2014 – Play-Off

LOWESTOFT  3  HORNCHURCH  0

 

LFC – Ashlee Jones – Jack Ainsley – Curtis Haynes-Brown – Andrew Fisk – Dan Gleeson © - Sam Gaughran – Chris Anderson (Michael Frew 17) – Rossi Jarvis – Jake Reed (Erkan Okay 71) – Shaun Bammant – Robert Eagle (Adam Smith 90+1)

Subs – Stuart Ainsley – Jake Jessup

 

HFC – Inigo Echepare – Billy Coyne (Martin Tuohy 53) – Michael Spencer (Carl Rook 59) – Dave Rainford – Rickie Hayles © - Phil Starkey – Tambeson Eyong – Joey May (Danny Phillips 60) – Leigh Bremner – George Purcell – Chris Bourne

Subs – Elliot Styles – Adriano Vernier

 

Scorers – Eagle 30 – Reed 48 – Haynes-Brown 57

Officials – Paul Kelly with Michael Marsh, Valentine Anekwe and Neil West

Attendance 2697

Bookings – Hayles 13 (H) – Rook 79 (H) – Bourne 83 (H)

Weather – 16 degrees, cloudy, wind speed up to 15 mph

Duration 48.07 + 49.00

 

 

 

LOWESTOFT  3  HORNCHURCH  0

 

Hornchurch were without Frankie Curley and Stefan Payne, both suspended, and Elliot Styles, who was injured at Kingstonian, and the loss of the two defenders was a big factor in the ultimate scoreline.

 

Lowestoft started strongly, when Robert Eagle crossed to Chris Henderson, who sent his shot high and over the bar.

 

Hornchurch were fortunate when a long kick by Ashlee Jones deceived Rickie Hayles and gave Shaun Bammant a shooting opportunity, but Inigo Echepare was ideally placed to save.

 

The first Hornchurch chance fell to Leigh Bremner, who sped through the middle, only for Dan Gleeson to come across rapidly to intercept.

 

Chris Bourne made a good run along the left to win a corner. Joey May sent the ball over, and George Purcell put his shot wide of the goal.

 

The lack of Styles and Curley was very apparent when Jake Reed touched a pass back to Rossi Jarvis, who fired wide of the goal.

 

On 13 minutes Hayles was booked for what to most seemed to be a tangle of legs in an innocuous challenge, and the free kick which was awarded led to a corner, which Echepare punched clear.

 

A May free kick at the other end almost brought a goal when Bremner’s shot was parried by Ashlee Jones and onto the bar, and shortly afterwards Purcell was brought down, to give Hornchurch a free kick ten yards outside the area, but Purcell put the free kick high over the bar.

 

Lowestoft took the lead in controversial fashion, when the ball was crossed from the right, and handled onwards to ROBERT EAGLE, whose mishit shot crept in underneath the diving Echepare. Hornchurch protests were unheeded.

 

Hornchurch came back with a good run by Bourne which ended in a corner, whilst a Lowestoft corner ended when Curtis Haynes-Brown placed his shot wide.

 

Tambeson Eyong then combined with Bourne to win another corner, which Jones rose well to catch.

 

Hornchurch began the second half with a penetrating run and cross by Bourne, with Gleeson hooking the ball wildly to safety.

 

Lowestoft increased their lead when they were awarded a free kick, which was only partially cleared for a throw, and from this the ball was played back to JAKE REED who turned and struck his shot through the defence.

 

Martin Tuohy, wearing number 17 instead of the programme number 12, replaced Billy Coyne, but this left Hornchurch vulnerable at the back, and following two successive corners CURTIS HAYNES-BROWN scored the third goal, hitting his shot past a crowded defence.

 

Carl Rook replaced Michael Spencer, and Danny Phillips replaced Joey May, and Hornchurch had the better of the play for the remainder of the match, though leaving themselves wide open to counter attacks.

 

A Purcell shot was deflected for a corner, and Tuohy went close after a good through pass by Rook, but Hornchurch rarely looked like getting a goal back, and the home side had little difficulty in playing out the final minutes to earn themselves a place in the Conference South (or North) next season.

 

For Hornchurch the loss of Curley and Styles was simply too much for the weakened defence to cope with.

[Dagger03]

A few comments -

 

Well done to Annie for organising the three coaches.

 

The 'advertised' traffic jams did not happen and the coach arrived before 1 pm.

 

The ground itself could not cope with the size of the crowd, and quite a lot of Hornchurch supporters commented that they could not get a reasonable view of the pitch - hardly surprising given the lack of terracing - the crowd was five deep on one side, with no terracing at all.

[Eastside Urchin]

I didn't see any of the second half,we moved behind the goal but couldn't see anything so basically spent the entire second half between the bar and outside having banter with those there lol

[Dagger03]

The ground facilities simply could not cope with the size of the crowd - it is supposed to have a capacity of 2900 but it was quite obvious that it cannot hold anything close to that number.

 

You can get them inside the ground, but the lack of terracing (three sides are just flat standing) I would say that over half the crowd could not get a reasonable view of the match.

 

I am also surprised that, knowing the likely attendance, they did not have a segregated area for Hornchurch supporters.