V Hornchurch

[sdelaney2308]

 

To the doomsters quality of game was not great but the 3 goals were.

Well done Scott and the squad also Slavi Captain for the game scores the winner and 3 points.

COYREBELS 

 

 

 

Edited March 15 by sdelaney2308

[RebelVilla]

Just to echo Steve's comments, well done to Scott, the team and the rest of the management. 

The three points today were well overdue, we can all now have a stress free Saturday evening. 

Looking forward to Enfield next Saturday.

[GlenSTFC]

Just listened to Scott’s interview, with the revelation that Slavi has turned down 3 approaches from professional clubs (that could still mean clubs at step 2), and saying he wants to see out the season with us, can we take it he’s off in the summer?

[Reading Rebel]

10 minutes ago, GlenSTFC said:

Just listened to Scott’s interview, with the revelation that Slavi has turned down 3 approaches from professional clubs (that could still mean clubs at step 2), and saying he wants to see out the season with us, can we take it he’s off in the summer?

If a better offer comes in higher up the pyramid then very likely.

[Russ_Rebel]

Fair play to the lads I didn't see us getting anything from this game but they have gone and done it, well done all. Sounds like Slavi will just be seeing out the season and moving on up following Scott's comments which is a shame from our point of view but great for Slavi. Hopefully a fee would be involved and he goes as high as he can being successful 

[GlenSTFC]

Just now, Reading Rebel said:

If a better offer comes in higher up the pyramid then very likely.

If he’s turned down 3 clubs he’s bound to get offers when he’ll be out of contract and on course to score 17/18 goals. Another case of losing our better players.

1 minute ago, Russ_Rebel said:

Fair play to the lads I didn't see us getting anything from this game but they have gone and done it, well done all. Sounds like Slavi will just be seeing out the season and moving on up following Scott's comments which is a shame from our point of view but great for Slavi. Hopefully a fee would be involved and he goes as high as he can being successful 

He’ll be out of contract.

[Reading Rebel]

Excellent result and 3 points at last.

Still work to do but today's result goes a long way to easing the pressure.

P.S I've never been so glad to be wrong 😏

[RebelVilla]

4 minutes ago, Reading Rebel said:

 

4 minutes ago, Reading Rebel said:

 

P.S I've never been so glad to be wrong 😏

You've had lots of practice.

[Reading Rebel]

17 minutes ago, GlenSTFC said:

If he’s turned down 3 clubs he’s bound to get offers when he’ll be out of contract and on course to score 17/18 goals. Another case of losing our better players.

He’ll be out of contract.

Unfortunately unless you're a big club or a club with money it's always going to happen.

 

Edited March 15 by Reading Rebel

[sdelaney2308]

Didn't take long for the doomsters to come on don't go to away games giving there 2 penny worth.

 

[Twyford Rebel]

So our blue away shirts are obviously cursed. Wear amber and blue and we win! 🤣

[Markskelton]

1 hour ago, GlenSTFC said:

Just listened to Scott’s interview, with the revelation that Slavi has turned down 3 approaches from professional clubs (that could still mean clubs at step 2), and saying he wants to see out the season with us, can we take it he’s off in the summer?

Yeah I sighed when I heard that,I imagine those clubs will be back 😩

[Holyport Rebel]

 

Won 3-2.

Away.

Wow!

 

[Reading Rebel]

33 minutes ago, Holyport Rebel said:

 

Won 3-2.

Away.

Wow!

 

Is that it 😅

[Holyport Rebel]

Just now, Reading Rebel said:

Is that it 😅

 

I've had people previously saying I "go on a bit" in my reports, so I thought I'd keep it short and precise this time.😄 

[Reading Rebel]

10 minutes ago, Holyport Rebel said:

 

I've had people previously saying I "go on a bit" in my reports, so I thought I'd keep it short and precise this time.😄 

Take no notice of the spoilsports I'm sure most on this forum enjoy reading your away Blogs HR. 

[Holyport Rebel]

When I went to the game yesterday I had absolutely no expectation of doing a match report from a venue so relatively close.

Felt the same at the final whistle.

Had a few thoughts since then though, so considering the way the match went, give me a few hours to see what twaddle I come up with  and I may get back to you.  

 

[Holyport Rebel]

It was a quick and uneventful journey on the supporters coach to Hornchurch.
Well, uneventful apart that is from Auntie Jean going round to everyone on the coach offering them some choccies from a "Quality Street" plastic tub.
Thank you Auntie Jean.
When we arrived on the outskirts of Hornchurch, I was amazed to see a 100ft tall, dazzling white windmill, which would have looked totally at home if it had been moved to Amsterdam.
I did not expect to see that at a town at the far eastern end of the London Underground District line.  
The coach pulled up at the entrance to the ground, which was at the side of the road and narrow, with two metal gates either side.
A board was leaning up in front of one of the gates which had written on it
"Car Park Full"
so no chance of Amy our usual coach driver squeezing down the narrow lane to park the coach somewhere within.  
Amy drove  ten yards further up the road and stopped, so everyone on the coach could pile out.
I made my way through the metal gates, down a short little lane to the turnstiles, paid my entrance fee, and headed for the programme seller's little hut.
The lady there was very friendly, asking amongst other things if we had  had a good journey down, and handed me my programme which as usual cost £3.
With over an hour to go to kick off, I headed for the clubhouse.
Inside there was a whole wall covered in photo's from the day Hornchurch won the FA Trophy at Wembley a few season's back.
What a day that must have been for them.
Couldn't help but think enviously that if teams like Hornchurch (who then were playing at a level below the NLS on that special day) and even flippin' Concord Rangers could get to Wembley, why not us ?
Ah well, back to reality.
I had time to read the Hornchurch match programme thoroughly.
What an excellent read.
Sadly, no rambling reports like ours has from several contributors which I really like, but instead packed full of stats and facts and old match details.
Great stuff.
Did you know for example that Slough Town's xG for this season is 1.46, and our opponents xG is 1.56 ?
Now if somebody could explain to me what on earth that means I would be well impressed.
Kick off time was getting close, so I headed outside.
Is it me getting older, or did I just not put enough layers on, but it felt flippin' cold to me.
I headed off to one of the small covered stands at the side of the pitch, hoping to find some respite from a cold breeze.
I always pay attention to the music that is played over the loudspeakers at away grounds.
Whenever they play mostly modern music I cringe.
"Songs" indistinguishable from one another in my opinion.
Sometimes it's a mixture of both old and new, which is better.
Just from the 60's, 70's and 80's is the best.
Hornchurch though, surpassed themselves.
in my eyes anyway.
Blaring out from the speakers was Ron Goodwin's classic theme to the motion picture  "633 Squadron", one of my all time favourite films.   
Yes, the special effects may be very dated now, but what a classic film.
By now the two teams had appeared on the pitch, tossed for ends, and Radders, Warren  and co. (and the drummer), had chosen the stand I was in to congregate and start their support of the lads in Amber and Blue.
The few Hornchurch fans who had occupied this same stand soon made their excuses and left for a quieter, non-Rebel part of the ground.
The game kicked off.
We started the game brightly.
Not dominating or anything like that, but in the game and creating some promising attacking moves.
It soon became clear that the pitch was not the best and the ball was always liable to take an unexpected bobble, which probably suited Hornchurch's big lump of a centre half, who seemed happy to just boot or head the ball forward in the direction of the Slough half whenever the ball came near him.
Half time was approaching, and the thought that went through my mind was
" Let's get to half time 0-0.
We're doing ok here. "
Five minutes from half time Hornchurch launched an attack.
It seemed to me that we had at least half a dozen chances to clear the ball properly away.
Finally, Edon swings his boot at the ball to launch it upfield, catches the legs of a Hornchurch player who immediately collapses to the ground, and the ref awards a penalty.
Scotty said in his after match interview that he thought it was a bit dubious.
He was obviously closer to the incident than I was, but from the other end of the pitch where I was it sadly looked a definite penalty. 
The penalty was well taken and we were one down.

I thought

" I don't believe it.
If only we could have held on for half time".

Amazingly, we still had time before the break to equalise !
A great shot from David.
We did not deserve I thought to go in at half time losing, so this was only fair.
We could go in for our half time team talk in a few moments on a high, having got back in the game when Hornchurch must have thought they would go in one up.
Great stuff.
It was unreal what happened next.
Another ball into our box, again it looked fairly straightforward to clear it out.
Somehow, there was some confusion in our box again and the ball ran on to a Hornchurch player, who gladly smacked it in the net to give them the lead again.

Very aggrieved thoughts went through my mind

"I DO NOT BELIEVE THIS.
HOW THE HELL DID THAT HAPPEN ? "

The ref blew his half time whistle seconds after, and we trooped off the field to the dressing room losing by the odd goal again.
I still felt that we could get something from this game, but we were making it extremely difficult for ourselves.

To be continued...........

 
 

Edited March 16 by Holyport Rebel

[Holyport Rebel]

 

Continued..............

 

Half time was very frustrating ,thinking how we should have been level but somehow had managed to end up being behind again.

As always, at half time I moved to the other end of the pitch, to be near the goal that Slough would be attacking in the second half.
I went across to the other side of the pitch, where most of the Slough fans has gathered under another small covered stand.
Hornchurch has a running track around the pitch, but I felt it was a better ground than Chelmsford, who also have the same handicap.
Unlike at Chelmsford though, where you can get close behind both goals despite the running track, you can't do this at Hornchurch, but I felt that the covered stands along  both sides of the pitch at Hornchurch made it a much more appealing and less dismal place than Chelmsford.
Waiting for the second half to begin, I felt surprisingly warm in the March sunshine, which was unexpected and welcome.
The second half began, and it wasn't long before Hornchurch had an opportunity to extend their lead, but thankfully didn't take it.
While it was still 2-1 we were still right in this game, and our attacks gave me hope that we could get ourselves back on level terms.
Then, with about 30 minutes to go, we equalised.
Johnny Goddard scored.

Except he didn't.

From the touchlines it looked an easier opportunity  to put the ball in the net than when Gordon Smith  had that chance to score for Brighton against Man Utd in the last minute of extra-time in the 1983 FA Cup Final and win the game, and the  BBC radio commentator Peter Jones famously said

"And Smith must score....!"'

Gordon Smith didn't score then and neither yesterday did Johnny.
Johnny put it over the bar.

We were never going to get a better chance than that to score.
Warren again was his usual self, once again finding a big plastic bin to bang, and once again a jobsworth steward stopped his fun.
Why did we have three stewards hanging around us ?
I'm not sure what they thought we might do.
The ball was quite regularly in Hornchurch's half, and after one of our effort's had gone into the large expanse of nothingness that there was behind the Hornchurch goal, the ball boy who was stationed there decided to waste time by taking forever to get the ball back to the Hornchurch goalie for the resultant goal kick.
Comments were shouted towards the ref and the ball boy about obvious timewasting tactics, and we just hoped time would be added on for this annoying and frustrating ploy.
Then, with about 15 minutes left, we won a corner, which was taken by John Gilbert right in front of us Slough fans.   
What a corner.
Aimed at Jeanmal who twisted his neck muscles and headed the ball past the Hornchurch goalie and into the net !
Great header.
Deservedly level at 2-2. 
Things got even better not long after.
Hornchurch headed clear a Guy Hollis long throw into the box and all their players started to run out of their penalty area.
The ball was softly mis-kicked back towards the Hornchurch goal by I think John Gilbert, and a Hornchurch player, running out, possibly hindered by an odd bounce of the ball on the dodgy pitch, sliced his clearance backwards towards his own goal where Slavi was waiting to pounce.
Not offside because a Hornchurch player had played the ball last, Slavi calmly placed the ball into the corner of the net.
3-2 ahead !
Oh my God !
Cue ecstatic scenes among the Slough fans ! 
It wasn't long after this that the ball boy who had tried to waste time earlier by taking so long to get the ball back to the Hornchurch goalie when it had gone out of play, walked past right in front of us Slough fans.
He was greeted with comments suggesting that he could now take as long as he wanted to get the ball back in play.
He looked across at us, with a sheepish look on his face.
Time passed, and we entered six minutes of added time.
Not sure where those six minutes came from.
Slavi had the ball near the Hornchurch by line, but rather than turn into the Hornchurch penalty area, he sensibly turned the opposite way to head towards the corner flag in front of us.
Chants of
"Sla-vi to the cor-ner,
Sla-vi to the cor-ner "
broke out among the Slough fans. 
Hornchurch launched a couple of long free kicks into our area with the time running out, but we defended them very efficiently, and the ref lifted his whistle to his lips and blew the final whistle.
Blimey.
We'd won. 
Away from home.
3-2.
I'd forgotten what this feeling felt like.
As always the players and management came over to where us Slough fans were, and this time it was tremendous to be able to celebrate an away league victory with them.
Winning any game is always nice.
To win a game like that is even nicer.
To win a game like that away from home when you haven't won an away league game since November is even better !
It was a very enjoyable and quick coach journey back to Slough.
When I got home my Saturday night pie and chips tasted the best they had done after an away game for a hell of a long time.
 A very enjoyable Saturday evening ensued.
I bet/hope Scott had a good night's sleep after that victory, new little one permitting !
A deserved win, and a very very welcome three points.
 

Edited March 17 by Holyport Rebel

[Bernie Gogan]

22 hours ago, Holyport Rebel said:

When I went to the game yesterday I had absolutely no expectation of doing a match report from a venue so relatively close.

Felt the same at the final whistle.

Had a few thoughts since then though, so considering the way the match went, give me a few hours to see what twaddle I come up with  and I may get back to you.  

 

Glad you had a re-think! Some points to add now that the highlights are on You Tube:-

1} The penalty looks to be very contentious as Scott alluded to. From the highlights it looks like Edon pulled out of the attempted clearance and their player has conned the ref. From where I was standing it looked a clear (but unintended) foul, but then when you're miles away.......well!

2) Their second came about when Guy Hollis slipped and inadvertently tripped Scott leaving an easy chance for their player.

3) The ball boy feigned injury, putting on a limp! Jose Mourinho would have been proud!

4) The "security" that were "guarding" us were actually quite friendly, but quite why it's necessary amongst a crowd of less than 600 I'm not sure. Echoes of Woking, Ebbsfleet, Bromley, Kidderminster, oh and Aveley last season!

5) You don't see the miss kick in the highlights (wrong angle) that allowed Slavi to get the winner, but it was plain to us all from where we were standing.

6) Not a fan of their ground, but then not a fan of athletics tracks generally as a football venue! At least it's not a wind tunnel like Chelmsford.