HORNCHURCH 2 BILLERICAY 2 - report

[Dagger03]

Monday 06-April-2015

HORNCHURCH  2  BILLERICAY TOWN  2

 

HFC – Sam Mott – Danny Woodards – Junior Luke – Elliot Styles © - Billy Roast – Frankie Curley – Tobi Joseph – Danny Johnson (Reece Beckles-Richards 73) – Martin Tuohy (Kieran Bishop 84) – George Purcell – Joey May

Subs – Thomas Gogo – Courtney Homans – Callum Chafer

 

BT – Rpss Kitteridge – Ola Williams – Teddy Nesbitt – Jack Edwards – Kenton Wood – Steve Sheehan – Shameek Farrell – Glenn Poole © - Ricky Sappleton – Cyrus Mahler – Josh Ekim (Afolabi Obafemi 62

Subs – Ryan Melaugh – Harry Baker – Taku Mashingaidze – Joe Wright

 

Officials –

Jason Richardson – referee 10/4/14 at Hampton, on line 2/4/11 at Horsham

Richard Letheren – no previous Hornchurch involvement

Gareth Mays – on line at three previous matches involving Hornchurch

 

Scorers – Joseph 29 (H) – Mahler 33 (BT) – Farrell 72 (BT) – Purcell 90+4 (H)

Booking – Farrell 79 (BT)

Duration 49.00 + 49.00

Weather – 11 degrees, cloudy

Attendance 271

 

 

HORNCHURCH  2  BILLERICAY TOWN  2

 

Hornchurch halted their losing run but were unable to take all three points in a match which they dominated for long periods.

 

Billericay started well and Hornchurch came under some early pressure. Sam Mott made an excellent save from Ricky Sappleton and again saved in style from the follow up shot.

 

George Purcell had a chance to open the score when he broke through at the windmill end, but he put his shot over the bar, and a minute later Purcell played a through ball to Martin Tuohy, who was thwarted by keeper Ross Kitteridge who rushed out of his area to kick clear.

 

Purcell was ever dangerous and won a corner, which Joey May sent over. This led to a second corner and Kitteridge did well to save in a packed goalmouth.

 

Tuohy had a scoring chance when he ran on to Mott’s long free kick, only to lift his shot a fraction too high and over the bar.

 

Hornchurch went ahead on 29 minutes after Tobi Joseph had made a good run to win a corner on the left. May floated the ball into the middle where Tobi Joseph headed home.

 

It was almost two nil a minute later when Tuohy took a pass from Danny Woodards and crossed into the goalmouth where Purcell’s header skimmed the post.

 

Defending set pieces has been a problem most of the season, so it was perhaps not a surprise when the visitors drew level on 33 minutes, when Glenn Poole’s free kick resulted in a corner from which the ball was headed home by Cyrus Mahler.

 

Hornchurch had most of the territorial play for the rest of the half, but the closest they came was when Elliot Styles headed a May corner into the arms of Kitteridge.

 

Hornchurch continued to press strongly after the interval, and when Joey May floated a free kick into the goalmouth the ball was headed away and to safety.

 

Tuohy and Purcell again combined well and Billericay survived a loud appeal for handball when Purcell’s shot cannoned off a defender. Purcell went close again when he gained possession after a long throw by Junior Luke but his shot went wide of the post.

 

Billy Roast moved up for a may corner but headed wide, as did Elliot Styles soon afterwards, whilst Kitteridge made an excellent save from Tuohy, who had been put clear by Purcell.

 

Frankie Curley then headed wide from another long Luke throw, before Billericay took the lead in a badly mistimed clearance from Sam Mott, whose kick went to Shameek Farrell who promptly fired the ball into the net.

 

Hornchurch immediately introduced Reece Beckles-Richards, but although they won several corners they could not break through a packed visiting defence.  Kieran Bishop also came on as Hornchurch threw players forward, leaving themselves open at the back for a counter attack, which almost led to a third goal when Mahler moved forward and sent in a hard shot which Mott saved spectacularly.

 

Into stoppage time and Hornchurch continued to press, and were rewarded in the final seconds when Tobi Joseph was sent crashing down, and George Purcell sent in an unstoppable free kick from ten yards outside the area, the final whistle following immediately after the restart.