VCD ATHLETIC 1 HORNCHURCH 4

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Saturday 22-July-2017

VCD ATHLETIC 1  HORNCHURCH 4

 

HFC - Sam Mott - Jamie Hursit - Jay Porter - Nathan Cooper - Kenzer Lee - Jed Chouman - Tobi Joseph - Theo Fairweather-Johnson - Bradley Warner - George Purcell - Leon McKenzie

 

Subs -

Manny Sackey for Tobi Joseph 60

Ross Wall for Leon McKenzie 64

Josh Hutchings for Bradley Warner 66

Taj Hussain for Jed Chouman 72

Paul Goodacre for Kenzer Lee 73

Sam Dickens for George Purcell 80

Harry Lambert for Sam Mott 83

 

Scorers - Purcell 14 (H) - McKenzie 28 (H) - VCD number 7 34 (V) - Lee 39 (H) - McKenzie 60 (H)

 

VCD - green / white / green

H - yellow / blue / yellow

 

VCD ATHLETIC 1  HORNCHURCH 4

 

Last season at VCD we started in sunshine, then had rain, more rain, hail, and finally snow.

 

It was different today - we had a cloudy start to the afternoon, and, as the referee blew his whistle to start the match, it began to rain - then it rained a bit harder - then even harder - and harder.

 

After a leisurely start to the new season at Hullbridge, VCD proved to be a far more difficult proposition, but Hornchurch eventually ran out comfortable winners.

 

On 12 minutes Hornchurch were awarded a free kick ten yards outside the area. George Purcell stepped up and his free kick crashed against the VCD bar.

 

Two minutes later and Hornchurch took the lead. Bradley Warner flicked the ball on to George Purcell, who made ground before firing the ball past the home goalkeeper and into the net.

 

VCD came back strongly, forcing Sam Mott into making an excellent save from the home centre forward, and Nathan Cooper then made a fine interception to deny another scoring opportunity, at the expense of a corner, which Mott fielded with confidence.

 

Hornchurch weathered the home onslaught, and on 28 minutes, as the rain cascaded down, they increased their lead. Purcell neatly slotted through to Theo Fairweather-Johnson, and the keeper could not hold his hard drive, and Leon McKenzie followed up to poke the ball over the line.

 

Fairweather-Johnson went close three minutes later when he moved on to a Purcell pass, but his shot hit the side netting.

 

On 35 minutes Tobi Joseph made a tackle inside the area, only to concede a penalty, which was firmly placed into the net by the home number seven.

 

Four minutes later, Jed Chouman sent over a long free kick from close to the half way line, and Kenzer Lee was ideally placed to net the third goal.

 

It was almost four when McKenzie played the ball through to Warner, but his hard shot was well saved.

 

The half ended with a loud crash of thunder as the rain continued to fall.

 

The rain eased up for the second half, but it made little difference as Hornchurch continued to dominate.

 

On 47 minutes Warner quickly ran on to a pass, and left defenders trailing, but he placed his shot a fraction too high and over the bar.

 

Warner again went close two minutes later, running on to a McKenzie pass, only for the keeper to turn the shot around the post for a corner.

 

On the hour it became 4-1, when Leon McKenzie headed home from an excellent Purcell centre.

 

And from then on there was a succession of substitutions, although the pattern of play did not change, with Hornchurch always looking likely to increase their lead.

 

Ross Wall twice went close, once putting his shot too high and over, and then seeing another shot hit a defender, before the ball spun high into the air and eventually around the post.

 

As the match ended, the rain again began to fall, but for Hornchurch supporters, the outlook is bright, and the early signs are that we are in for a very good season.