Ryman League - Hornchurch 2 Braintree Town 1

[Urchins]

Believe it or not this was our first league double this season.

 

Although Braintree appear to be struggling it was clear early on that they were going to be not pushovers today and I get the feeling that next week's match at Hednesford was very much on our minds.

 

We took the lead after 22 minutes, Lee Matthews heading in his first goal for the club, and you could sense the relief after the visitors looked set to frustrate us all afternoon. We went further ahead 5 minutes before half time when Lee Williams volleyed home a loose ball after a scramble in the 6 yard area and for a minute or two it looked like the floodgates might soon open. Braintree, though, caught us napping at a corner two minutes before half time and Adam Parker bundled the ball home at the far post.

 

The second half never really got going, not helped by the number of poor passes going out of touch, offsides and silly free-kicks (are there any sensible free-kicks ??). Lance Forrester and Oliver Blackwell went close for the visitors on 58 and 69 minutes respectively and with 15 minutes to go Gavin McGowan brought out a good save from Paul Rutherford after we seemed to be getting our game together. Danny Gay tipped over from Steve Good with 10 minutes to go but we managed to hold on to our lead.

 

Line-up:- Gay, Gooding, Kerrigan, Adedeji, Matthews, Williams (Locke 71), Graham, J Martin, Holligan (Douglas), Brayley, McGowan. Subs not used:- Keeling, Rowland, McCartney (GK).

[Urchin Kid]

Great game, spectacular goal Lee Williams, only complaint was that it was bloody freezing! A very good performance, keep it up Urchins.

[Mark (Flag) Braintree]

Good to see Tony Maynard again, in the club house, he says he is getting over an injury.

Braintree battled and as your man said, good chances from BQ, Forrester and Blackwell, Ruthers in goal pulled of some great saves again.

 

You may find it hard to believe, but our keeper Ruthers has been one of the best players this season, games where we could of lost by alot more he has kept the score line respectable.

 

On the Iron site, i put something, please read it below.

 

Away from the game.

Goods and Bads about Hornchurch stadium.

 

The goods.

1. Advertising Free Coach travel to their Trophy tie away at Hednesford

2. The Match day prog only a quid.

3. The entrance fee 6.50, very impressive as they are having a good season they could of taken advantage of the larger crowds by increasing the price. Very Good. (Maybe 2nd lowest gate price in the Ryman, as I think Northwood was 6 quid)

4.The fact Hornchurch P.A man gave us a team sheet as I missed the read out to update my prog.

5.The Clubhouse is very smart, a clubhouse which I would put up with Leyton Pennant (Now Waltham Forrest) with tilled toilets with no graffiti and young attractive Urchinettes serving your Beer. (Mand this was purely for researching purposes, honest)

6.The Directors lounge although I did not enter had napkins and smart tables, looked very impressive, this over looked the pitch.

7.From a Hornchurch point of view, A band that plays and gets behind their team when their boys break in the chanting.

8. I did not buy food inside the clubhouse but on their menu. They had basket meals at very reasonable prices, better price than the burger bars outside.

 

Any Hornchurch fans reading this, please don’t get angry and throw abuse at me, as I have just named 8 good points against 2 bad, NO OFFENCE IS MEANT. I just say what I see.

The bads

1.Not being able to stand behind the goal to support your team due to the fact they have a running track. This means you have to listen to the home fans, Ok nice enough but no different from our own when we are winning, but when you are loosing you don’t wish your nose rubbed in it. Also if I were behind the goal I would not have had to listen to Hornchurch Manager Borg whine about every single decision even the ones his team get in their favor.

2.The same band that is on my good list I feel must be here from our point of view. The reason for it is the band play right behind the away bench and a fair distance from the home bench, me wonders if this is gamesmanship so instructions can be heard from the home bench but not the away. I wonder.

Saying that good luck, in the chase for the title & Canvey, which your boys have not given up hope of.

[mala_D]

Valid point about the running track.

I couldn't possibly comment on the band...

<img src="/images/graemlins/whistling.gif" alt="" />

[GazzaBTFC]

Goerge Borg whine? Never!!! <img src="/images/graemlins/wink.gif" alt="" />

 

And gameship? The Urchins? What a scurrilous thought <img src="/images/graemlins/ooo.gif" alt="" />

[Lord]

It would be nice to have 4 ends to the ground, but there's nothing much we can do about the running track. Still, its a massive improvement on what was over there 2 years and full credit to the club for turning the place around. As for the band, well thats never been my cup of tea, so best I don't comment!!

 

Your boys played well and possibly could have nicked something out of the game. As Urchins said, seems our minds were looking towards next Saturday too much. All the best for the rest of the season.

[Lord]

You wasn't over there again yesterday was you Gazza???

[GazzaBTFC]

Sorry to disapoint but I wasn't.

 

Nice to see Lee scored <img src="/images/graemlins/smirk.gif" alt="" />.

 

 

[Lord]

Blimey, makes a change, you "urchin wannabees" seem to spend all your days over at the Stadium of Dreams!! Although I see your lot won yesterday, nose bleed time if you boys carry on that way!

[GazzaBTFC]

Urchin wannabees...I don't think so. Lee is, how can you say, someone who pitched up for 'Riccay during the Calder years.

 

[GazzaBTFC]

Oh and yep, we won. Teach the Non League Paper to write us off!!!

[Uncle Urchin]

no need to apologise mark...I think your comments are accurate and we all probably would agree with most of them....

 

georgie has to be taken more lightly however....a lot of his antics are 'staged' for our fans who love the banter with the linos and ref....

 

he does of course go off on a real whinge every now and again...but what manager doesn't...george is just better at it than most of them....

 

as for the band...goodness me....never thought about the noise behind the away dugout.....!! <img src="/images/graemlins/grin.gif" alt="" /> <img src="/images/graemlins/grin.gif" alt="" /> <img src="/images/graemlins/grin.gif" alt="" /> <img src="/images/graemlins/grin.gif" alt="" />

[urchinboys]

Mark said "The entrance fee 6.50, very impressive as they are having a good season they could of taken advantage of the larger crowds by increasing the price. Very Good. (Maybe 2nd lowest gate price in the Ryman, as I think Northwood was 6 quid)"

 

Quite right Mark, a bargain considering the talent on display!

 

I thought that GBP 6.50 was a league imposed minimum? and the club wanted GBP 6.00 at the start of the season?

[Ian_W]

Northwood is £7

[Mark (Flag) Braintree]

Ian, we visited Northwood at the start of the season and I remember being impressed that their entrance fee was the lowest, I thought it was 6.

 

The running track, well there is something you can do, why cant you judge the size of the away support we only had about 30 supporters including Directors and only 6 would of wanted to stand where they usually do, behind the goal, as normal, so as we were so small in numbers we could go inside the running track and stand behind the goals we were attacking, i understand that when you play Canvey or Kettering or your trophy ties you could not do this, but surely do it on game by game, view whether you think they will bring many people and whether it would be a problem, Braintree dont have a reputation, i think personally it could of been resolved.

 

Give you an example we were at Kettering and they provide segregation for their big games we were told, but were told Braintree and Northwood (who visited them Kettering the week before) would not be segregated. So we were free to wander where ever.

 

Give it some thought.

Judge by crowd expected for the away team, reputation etc.

 

Good luck Urchins. P.s, looking out for Urchin boy who did our shoot for a meal, were you there Urchin Boy?

 

Mark the flag.

[global]

George didn't keep the team in the dressing room for very long at half time yesterday, did he?

 

Oh, & nice one on 'The Sweeney' at the end...

 

 

[urchinboys]

Does anybody know why it 'kicked off' at the end???

[YELLOW]

Do you mean between the fans or the players, Urchinboys?

[mala_D]

Mark - I think Urchin Boy is still in Moscow, or perhaps on his way back now.

 

As for the "handbags", I think it had something to do with Braintree's captain [#6], and an exchange of words between himself and Borg following another "strong" challenge some 5 minutes before full time.

 

Anyone in the Riverside who can provide more detail?

[Uncle Urchin]

it carried on into the away dressing room I understand but was settled by big Issaacs gentle warning...

 

''sit down son or I'll fckin chin ya''....

 

apparently Issaacs has been taking lessons in the local vernacular from george.... <img src="/images/graemlins/grin.gif" alt="" /> <img src="/images/graemlins/grin.gif" alt="" /> <img src="/images/graemlins/grin.gif" alt="" />