AVELEY 1 HORNCHURCH 3 - report

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Saturday 04-September-2015

AVELEY  1  HORNCHURCH  3

 

AFC – James Marrable – Paul Preston – Ahmed Deen © - Junior Baker – Perry Dunn – Abs Seymour – Liam Nash – Joe Pearman (David Fallah 59– James Peagram (Adrian Retkoceri 65– Petrit Elbi – Marcus Elliott (Lee Weemes 81)

Subs – Luke Stanley – Brian Okweri

 

HFC –

1 – Sam Mott

2 – Billy Coyne

3 – Jed Chouman – Calvin Poku 86

4 – Danny Johnson ©

5 – Leon Smith

6 – Joey May

7 – Abs Thompson – Sam Baffour 88

8 – Tobi Joseph

9 – David Knight

10 – George Purcell

11 – Junior Luke

 

Subs –

Dave Collis

Liam Burgess

Paulius Ditkevicius

 

Officials – Stuart Franklin with Peter Smith and Mina Makram

 

Scorers – Knight 4 (H) – Elbi 31 (A) – Purcell 33 (H) – Purcell 63 (H)

 

Bookings – Seymour 43 (A) – May 43 (H) – Johnson 87 (H) - Poku 88 (H)

Attendance 254

Duration 45.00 + 49.00

Weather – cloudy, 14 degrees

A – all blue

H – red and white stripes / black / black

 

AVELEY  1  HORNCHURCH  3

 

One change from Monday – Leon Smith replaced Elliot Styles, and two new signings included in the squad – Sam Baffour whose last club was Barkingside, and Liam Burgess, from Cheshunt.

 

Admission price was reduced to £5 for the Friday night match, and Aveley were rewarded with a higher than average turnout of 254, although the majority were supporting the visitors.

 

Hornchurch kicked down the slope in the first half and Joey May curled a free kick wide in the first minute. Aveley keeper James Marrable was called into action a minute later when a defender almost back-headed a long Billy Coyne throw into his own net, and Hornchurch took the lead on 4 minutes when David Knight ran on to a long ball from Tobi Joseph, ran on, shrugged off his marker, rounded Marrable and calmly stroked the ball into the net.

 

Aveley started the night at the top of the league and for the next twenty minutes they proceeded to show everyone that their position was well merited as they forced Hornchurch onto defence. They won several corners and when Jed Chouman failed to head away to safety the ball was promptly fired back, and Sam Mott did well to prevent the equaliser.

 

When Tobi Joseph conceded a free kick, James Peagram’s shot went out for a corner, and Chouman who headed away. Aveley continued to press and a header by Liam Nash went too close for comfort. A minute later Mott had to race out sharply to deny Peagram, but Hornchurch turned defence into attack when Abs Thompson ran down the right and his centre found Knight, whose header went over the bar.

 

Aveley drew level on 31 minutes when Perry Dunn made the opening and Petrit Elbi finished off from close range.

 

Two minutes later Hornchurch were back in front. A long ball was played out to George Purcell on the left, and he moved inside, and caught Marrable by surprise with a spectacular lobbed shot from outside the area, the ball dipping sharply into the net from thirty yards out.

 

Aveley tried hard to regain the lead and Hornchurch successfully defender two corners as the half drew to a close.

 

Hornchurch had an early scare in the second half when Paul Preston crossed from the right and Marcus Elliott , from close range, hammered the ball against the underside of the bar. The linesman, Peter Smith, was right up with play and was ideally placed to indicate that the ball had not crossed the line.

 

 Play switched to the other end where a dangerous Abs Thompson centred was headed away. Keeper Marrable kept out a goal-bound shot from the ever-dangerous Thompson, and Purcell and Knight combined well before the Purcell’s cross went across the goal, and was played back by Thompson, to Purcell, whose shot was blocked by a defender.

 

Leon Smith headed over from a May corner as Hornchurch began to dominate, and It was George Purcell who fired Hornchurch further ahead when Mott’s long ball found Knight, who touched on to Purcell, who finished off in his usual manner from outside the area.

 

Hornchurch could have increased their lead when a Joey May corner fell to Leon Smith, but his first time shot from close range cleared the bar.

 

Another free kick, taken by Joey May, was deflected for a corner, whilst Billy Coyne put in a perfectly timed tackle to prevent Liam Nash from shooting. Two further Aveley corners were cleared, before Sam Baffour came on for his debut in place of Abs Thompson.

 

Aveley won two more corners, whilst at the other end a Billy Coyne free kick went wide of the post. Danny Johnson prevented what seemed a certain goal when Liam Nash cut inside, rounded Mott, only to find Johnson back to clear his shot off the line.

 

Calvin Poku came on for Jed Chouman for the final few minutes, during which Johnson was booked, for coming back onto the pitch without permission, and Poku followed him into the book a minute later for a mistimed challenge.

 

The result takes Hornchurch to the top of the league, if only for 24 hours.