WALTHAM ABBEY 1 HORNCHURCH 0

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Saturday 19-March-2016

WALTHAM ABBEY 1  HORNCHURCH 0

 

WA - Omand - Attard - Joynes - Daveney © (Suddell 84) - Wood - Robbins - Daniel - Blackman - Assombalonga - Flack - West (Russell 77)

Subs - Page - Adelani - Del Borrello

 

HFC - Chafer - Chouman - Bentley - May (Freeman 65) - Cooper - Goodacre - Eyong )Thompson at HT) - Collis - Knight - Purcell © - Luke (McKenzie 82)

Sub - Styles

 

Officials - Andrew Williams with Alan Cresswell and Fernando Costache

 

Scorer - Blackman 52

Bookings - Knight 38 (H) - Luke 59 (H) - Assombalonga 78 (WA) - Wood 83 (WA)

Attendance 116

Duration 46.00 + 48.00

Weather - 8 degrees, cloudy

 

WALTHAM ABBEY 1  HORNCHURCH 0

 

The pitch was bumpy and hard. Some of the decisions were questionable, and Hornchurch were very much below par. That just about sums up the match.

 

Little happened in the first fifteen minutes. Junior Luke put a header wide, home keeper Aaron Omand punched an Alex Bentley free kick away, and a good run in from the left by Christian Assombalonga ended with a hard shot into the side netting.

 

Hornchurch had a good chance midway through the half when Joey May’s corner found David Knight, whose goalbound header was cleared.

 

George Purcell and Paul Goodacre both went close with headers, and Purcell was unlucky when he made ground on the left and his shot was scrambled away.

 

In the final minute of the half Jed Chouman put a good ball into the goalmouth and Omand turned Knight’s header around the post.

 

Tambeson Eyong had passed a fitness test prior to the kick off, but he was playing at noticeably reduced pace, and Abs Thompson replaced him at half time.

 

Hornchurch had he better of the second half but they fell behind in controversial circumstances, when a free kick was awarded on the left, a decision that puzzled both players and spectators. Ryan Blackman took the free kick and the ball sailed over a surprised Callum Chafer and into the net.

 

But two minutes later another decision left Hornchurch supporters completely amazed. Abs Thompson made a good run in from the right and won a corner. Joey May floated the ball over, and Dave Collis powered his header past the defence to level the score - or so we thought. Supporters behind the goal were convinced the ball was over the line before a defender headed it back out and the referee allowed play to continue, and the return shot was cleared off the line.

 

There was further controversy on 63 minutes, when George Purcell hammered a fee kick past the wall, keeper Omand could only parry the ball and David Knight followed up to score - only for offside to be awarded and the goal ruled out.

 

At the other end Ryan Flack made a good run at goal from a breakaway, but his shot was blocked, whilst Assombalonga powered through the middle from the half way line and Chafer made an excellent save to keep the ball out of the goal.

 

Hornchurch continued to apply pressure onto the home defence, but the closest they came was when another Purcell free kick cannoned back off the defensive walls.

 

A poor performance, not helped by some of the decisions, one of which led to the only goal and another which ruled out a goal, but Abbey held out and deserved to take the points to ease their relegation worries, at the same time making it increasingly difficult for Hornchurch to make the play-offs..