HORNCHURCH 0 ARSENAL U23 3

[Dagger03]

Tuesday 31-July-2018

HORNCHURCH 0  ARSENAL U23 3

 

Hornchurch: Chafer, Hursit, Porter (Peter 62), Lee, Cooper, Warner, Hogan (Clark 53), Spence (Livings 57), Fairweather-Johnson (Coker 68), Purcell (McKenzie 75), Saunders. Unused sub: Collis.

 

Arsenal: Deyan Ilyev (13 xx 83), Jordi Osei-Tutu (Joseph Olowu 62), Dominic Thompson (15 xx 62), Charlie Gilmour (Krystian Bielik 62), Julio Pleguezuelo (16 Danny Ballard 46), Zech Medley (14 xx 62), Xavier Amaechi (21 Nathan Tormey 69), Joe Willock, Stephy Mavididi (18 Tyreece John-Jules 69), Robbie Burton (James Olayinka 62), Cohen Bramall (12 xx 62).

 

Scorers - Gilmour 26 - John-Jules 75 - Ballard 78

Booking - Fairweather-Johnson 61 (H)

Officials - Dean Skipper with David Harrison and Sam Wigington

 

For much of the match the large crowd was entertained by the incredibly accurate one-touch passing of the Arsenal U23 team, which included Joe Willock who had played for their first team in Singapore only a few days previously.

 

Although Arsenal had the majority of the play, Hornchurch were very much in with a chance until the final fifteen minutes, when Arsenal took complete control and ran in two more goals to add to their earlier single goal tally.

With Willock and Cohen Bramall giving the home defence a difficult opening spell, it took a good tackle by Nathan Cooper to deny Arsenal an early scoring opportunity.

 

On ten minutes Jordi Osei-Tutu went close when the ball fell neatly in front of him from a free kick, with Lewwis Spence clearing.

 

On fifteen minutes Hornchurch came within inches of opening the scoring, when Brad Warner sent over a corner towards the far post, where Nathan Cooper’s close range shot was scrambled out by Deyan Iliev.

 

At the other end a shot by Xavier Amaechi just dipped over the crossbar, and Callum Chafer saved well from Willock, before play switched back to the Arsenal end and Iliev was perhaps fortunate to turn a Jamie Hursit shot over the bar, as the ball dipped late in flight.

 

Cohen Bramall went close with a free kick, that Chafer was ideally positioned to save, before Arsenal went ahead following a well-planned short corner, from Robbie Burton, the ball being played to Harli Gilmour who volleyed home.

 

Chafer saved from Dominic Thompson as Arsenal kept up the pressure, but there were no further goals in the first half.

 

Shortly after the interval Nathan Cooper deflected a Gilmour shot around the post for a corner, and a Willock shot skimmed the bar.

 

On 53 minutes Connor Hogan was brought down as he tried to take the ball around Iliev, who conceded a penalty in the process. George Purcell took the kick but Iliev saved with his foot, deflecting the shot out for a corner.

 

Arsenal continued to have the better of the play but were fortunate not to concede a second penalty when a defender handled inside the area, and back at the other end Chafer made another fine save from Amaechi.

 

Arsenal went further ahead when another spell of one-touch passing culminated with Tyreece John-Jules providing the finishing touch. The third and final goal soon followed, when a short corner was rounded off by the Arsenal U18 captain Danny Ballard.

[Fisherman's Friend]

what was attendance?