THURROCK 0 HORNCHURCH 2

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Wednesday 27-April-2016 - Play off semi final

 

THUROOCK 0  HORNCHURCH 2

 

TFC - Madden - Morgan - Lewis Clark - Baker (Goode HT) - Sutton - Toner (Stimson HT) - Jordan Clark (Gleed 85) - Spence © - Wall - Francis - Cowley

Subs - Wheatley - Olafunmishe

 

Hornchurch - Mott - Eyong - Styles - Cooper - Bentley - Thompson (Chouman 72) - Collis - Symons - Luke - Purcell (McKenzie 90+5) - Knight (Freeman 90)

Substitutes - Chafer - May

 

Officials - Mark Mellor with David Harrison, Craig Barnett and Andreas Anatasiou

 

Scorers - Purcell 11p - Luke 36

Bookings - Morgan 58 (T) - Collis 63 (H) - Luke 88 (H)

Attendance 514

Weather - rain, 9 degrees

Duration - 47.00 + 51.00

 

 

THUROOCK 0  HORNCHURCH 2

 

The steady stream of red and white moving towards the motorway end of the ground gave early warning that the vast majority of the official attendance of 514 was supporting Hornchurch, who were without Paul Goodacre who was nursing an injury.

 

Hornchurch started brightly and Purcell signalled his intention in the first minute with a hard shot that Rhys Madden dived to turn around the post.

 

Thurrock was quick to respond, when Michael Toner fired over for Fleet from long range.

 

Madden was in action again when Purcell made one of his trademark runs across the area and eluded two defenders before firing in one of his specials, which Madden tipped wide of the post.

 

On ten minutes Tambeson Eyong, who had a minute before almost powered through the centre, ran down the right an centred, Lewis Clark handled and George Purcell waited calmly for the histrionics to end, and then fired the penalty firmly in to the net for the goal which beat the record.

 

GP has now become the first HFC player to score forty goals in one season.

 

Hornchurch had a scare four minutes later when a Lewwis Spence shot from outside the area took a deflection off Nathan Cooper and hit the underside of the bar, then bounced high in the air before Alex Bentley put the ball out for a corner.

 

Thurrock had to defend for long periods and when Ross Wall had a shooting opportunity, he was harassed by Dave Collis and fired over the bar.

 

But the visitors weren’t content on just holding onto their advantage as Abs Thompson linked up smartly with Luke and the latter drilled wide.

 

Nicky Symons then sent Abs Thompson clear on the right, and he cut inside but hit his shot into the side netting.

 

Two minutes later, Thompson took a cross from Purcell, and fed the ball out to Junior Luke who moved in rapidly and his shot came back off the post.

 

With Hornchurch coming forward continually, the home defence was hard pressed, and when a long throw from Luke was flicked on by Elliot Styles to David Knight at the far post, Madden made another excellent save from point blank range.

 

Purcell went close with a shot from the edge of the area which skimmed the post, and then came the long-overdue second goal, when Junior Luke took a return pass from the hard-working David Knight, and then took the ball around a defender and around Madden and casually played the ball into the empty net.

 

Thurrock had two corners in quick succession in stoppage time, but Hornchurch defended excellently.

 

Fleet made a double substitution at the break with James Goode and Charlie Stimson replaced Michael Toner and Daniel Francis.

 

Within a minute of the second half, Purcell won a free kick on the edge of the area before having his fierce strike deflected just wide. Collis sent the resulting corner into a packed goalmouth and Madden saved well from Nathan Cooper, turning the ball over the bar.

 

Thurrock now came forward at every opportunity, and Luke cleared a Lewwis Spence shot. Tambeson Eyong and James Goode both went for the clearance and Goode was very fortunate to remain on the field following an x-rated challenge, which surprisingly did not even merit a yellow card from a very lenient referee.

 

Thurrock had the majority of the territorial play but at the other end Purcell went close with a free kick wide on the hour, and Madden tipped a Knight shot around the post for a corner.

 

With twenty minutes left, Remi Sutton picked out James Goode, but Sam Mott made an excellent save, with Bentley putting the loose ball out for a corner.

 

Jed Chouman replaced Abs Thompson as Hornchurch concentrated on defending their lead and Mott was in action again he tipped a Jordan Clark header from a corner over the bar for another corner.

 

A minute later David Cowley’s cross was headed down, but Charlie Stimson fired wide from a few yards out.

 

Five minutes of stoppage time ensued, Jim McFarlane introduced Ricky Freeman in place for David Knight, as Hornchurch now once again pressed forward.

 

Junior Luke made an excellent run from inside his own half but Madden again saved, turning the ball out for a corner.

 

Leon McKenzie replaced Purcell for the final twenty seconds of an over long five minutes, and all that remained was for the Hornchurch side to run and acknowledge their supporters at the car park end of the ground