GREAT WAKERING 0 HORNCHURCH 5

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Monday 28-December-2015

GREAT WAKERING 0  HORNCHURCH 5

 

GWR – Seal- Pugsley – Worrell – Barlow – Sands – Vaughan – Addlington – Bradley – Johnson (Moss 70) – Nash – Cleaver

Subs – Clark – Regan - Woodhouse

 

 

Hornchurch: Mott, Coyne, Chouman, May (Dove 86), Cooper, Goodacre, Knight (Poku 84), Styles, McKenzie (Thompson 78), Purcell, Bentley. Unused

Subs – Collis – Luke

 

Officials – Stuart Franklin with Craig Barnett and Kirk Edwards

 

Scorers – Bentley 7 – Knight 17 – Purcell 56 – Purcell 79 – Bentley 85

No bookings

Attendance 183 (highest of season)

Weather – 12 degrees, cloudy

Duration 46.00 + 47.00

 

GREAT WAKERING 0  HORNCHURCH 5

 

Hornchurch supporters reading the programme – those who were there in time to buy one, as they sold out long before the kick off – were somewhat surprised to find that there were three players in the programmed line up who had left the club several months earlier, and that both Danny Johnson and Tobi Joseph were expected to play.

 

The programme notes also welcomed ‘the AFC air raid siren’ and the history page contained a photo of Harlow’s main stand.

 

There was some concern prior to the start about the length of the grass on the pitch, which was in the opinion of some of the management, far too long and a possible danger to the players.

 

But once the game started, there was never any doubt about the eventual outcome. The opening goal came on seven minutes when Elliot Styles started the move that ended when a George Purcell shot was blocked, and Alex Bentley controlled the rebound before calmly slotting home his first goal in a league match for Hornchurch.

 

Alex had scored just once previously, in a league cup match at Billericay when Hornchurch fielded a team made up largely of trialists, and that match ended with a five goal-margin. Was this an omen?

 

It was Bentley who featured prominently in the next attacking move, when his pass found Leon McKenzie, who in turn played the ball on to Purcell, but his shot cleared both bar and social club.

 

We had not long to wait for the second goal, which again started with Bentley, who crossed from the left to David Knight, who fired home his twentieth goal of the season.

 

The home side briefly threatened when they were awarded a free kick, but James Pugsley sent the ball wide of the far post. Eljay Worrell sent a shot wide shortly afterwards, before play swung back to the other end where Purcell sent a free kick over the bar.

 

,Jack Addlington had a chance to reduce the arrears but he fired wide after beating the defence.

 

Close to half time Knight ran through, shrugged off a challenge, and keeper Adam Seal made a fine save to keep the ball out of the net.

 

Hornchurch started the second half in powerful fashion, when Purcell hammered in a shot from the edge of the area which cannoned back off the crossbar, and Purcell sent another shot a minute later over the bar and out of the ground, after good work by Knight.

 

The third goal was not long in arriving when Styles combined with Joey May to set up George Purcell, who glided past defenders to slot the ball home.

 

As the pressure continued Leon McKenzie headed narrowly wide from a Knight centre, and Seal saved well from McKenzie two minutes later.

 

Great Wakering almost scored with a long-range shot which dipped late and hit the crossbar, but Nathan Cooper was first to react and played the ball to safety as it bobbed around close to the goal line.

 

George Purcell scored his thirtieth goal of the season when he ran on to a long ball, rounded keeper Seal and calmly slotted home, and Jim McFarlane then brought on Charlie Dove, Calvin Poku and Abs Thompson, all of whom were quickly involved in the match.

 

Poku was close to scoring when Purcell sent a good pass to Alex Bentley, whose shot hit both posts before crossing the line for the fifth goal, with Poku making sure just in case.

 

Charlie Dove saw his shot saved by Seal, and Abs Thompson twice went close with good attempts from the right, both of which skimmed the far post.

 

The five-goal margin was perhaps not a fair reflection on the play, as it could have been considerably more as the home side were subjected to a constant barrage of attacks in a very one-sided second half.