HFC 5 - 0 Aveley - today's match report

[Dagger03]

Rob cannot get the report on line easily tonight, so here is a preview.

 

Saturday 30th December 2006

HORNCHURCH 5 AVELEY 0

HFC - Dale Brightly – Jordan Bostock - Danny Glozier – John Purdie © - Jim McFarlane– Andy Tomlinson - Garry Cross – Mark Janney - Kris Lee – Simon Parker – Jamie Southon

Subs – Amos Foyewa for Janney 75 – Anisley Gasper – Ryan Lee for Cross 37 – Ron Fletcher – Dave Sadler for Kris Lee 71

 

AFC – Marc Palmer © - Lawrie Stewart – Nathan Peprahannan – Richard Halle – Nick Skelton – Daryl Bourgeois – Liam Francis – Craig Braham – David Bryant – Leon Antoine – Benson Paka

Subs – Kenny Kennedy – Duane Jackman for Stewart at half time – Daniel Francis – Sam Adejokun for Braham 75 – Ashley Grant

 

Scorers – Kris Lee 9, 18 – Simon Parker 75, 84 , 85 (hatrrick in nine mins and 12 seconds)

Bookings – Paka 4 (A) – McFarlane 12 (H) – Halle 18 (A) – Braham 26 (A)

Officials – Brian Holderness with M Spradbury and L Wood

Weather – 11 degrees at start, nine degrees at finish, rain throughout, wind speed 8 mph first half, rising to 35 mph squalls in second half.

Match duration – 47.23 + 48.40

Attendance 444

 

Jamie back in the starting line up, and a crowd of 444 despite the rain which started at half two. All programmes were sold out very early, and there were two Sudbury officials in attendance, their own match having been called off. And on the tannoy, Max had got his voice back after losing it at Canvey. Urchins started well, Glozier finding Tomlinson and thence Cross, who cut in from the left, and hit a rising shot past Palmer, the ball hitting the upright. Then it was Kris Lee out on the left, slipping his marker and slotting the ball inside to an unmarked Janney, with Skelton saving the day with an excellent interception. Aveley had no answer, and conceded a free kick when Halle was booked, Glozier’s centre being cleared by Stewart. Brightly got his first touch of the ball, a long upfield clearance, and Dale in turn pumped the ball long and deep down towards the other end, where Paprahannan sliced his clearance out for a corner which was taken by Janney, the ball drifting just too high for anyone to reach on way across the goalmouth. Already a goal looked likely, and when it came, it was a classic. Bostock, up to McFarlane on the half way line, and Mac out to KRIS LEE who simply hammered in a left footed shot from way outside the penalty area, to send the Eastside into raptures. Was this the goal of the season?

 

Aveley had little to offer, though a free kick from Francis could have been dangerous had not McFarlane casually rose up to head powerfully away. And Mac returned an upfield clearance with a 60 yard header right back into the keeper’s arms. Kris again loose on the left and he hit his shot inches wide. Palmer saved well to put the ball out for a corner when Cross homed in, and Tomlinson swerved the ball across goal, and just wide of the far post. But a second goal was long overdue, and it was McFarlane who started off the move, prodding the ball upfield, where Simon Parker outjumped Skelton and headed on toward KRIS LEE who lobbed the ball home, leaving the away defence in total disarray. It was some time before the referee could restart play as the visitors appeared unhappy with the linesman, and eventually it was Halle who went into the book, though at least two other Aveley players were perhaps fortunate to escape without a card.

 

Dale Brightly nearly got onto the score sheet with a long clearance which bounced into the arms of Palmer at the other end, and then Palmer managed Aveley’s first on target shot of the match, his free kick trickling into Brightly’s arms. Janney was upended in full flight and Danny Glozier stepped up and his hard shot saw the ball cannon out from the wall, to safety. Parker came in from the left, held the ball up well, and then slotted through to Janney, whose first time shot was blocked by a defender. Disaster struck the Urchins when Garry Cross pulled up sharply and had to go off, being replaced by Ryan Lee, who slotted into an identical role. Shortly before half time, Aveley had their only real chance of the half, Paka’s hard and low free kick being saved by a diving Brightly.

 

Half time, and one way traffic so far. But the wind was noticeably increasing in power, the rain was sweeping downfield, whilst on the roof of the stand Rob was giving a passable imitation of a soaking wet iceberg. Max announced the jackpot winning number, and a Hornchurch supporter went away £100 better off. And how many balls out? Only four so far, a remarkably low tally. In the shop Tony was selling his pies like hot cakes, and the two Sudbury officials appeared hopeful that the match on Tuesday would go ahead, provided it did not rain heavily over the next couple of days – their postponed match today is only the second in the history of their new ground, which was erected on a water meadow.

 

Urchins kicked into the torrential rain and gale in the second half, but started well when Janney floated the ball across and Paprahannan put it out for a corner, which Janney took and which everyone missed as the ball crossed the goalmouth. Janney again, back to Ryan Lee, and then up to Kris Lee, his cross cum shot being deflected out of play for another corner, which Janney took and Palmer held well. Purdie to Southon, and an excellent ball in from the left where Halle prevented a goal with a diving header at the cost of a corner. Janney took the kick and Palmer gathered again. But Urchins were finding it hard to get the ball over the half way line, and high clearances simply swirled back into their own half of the field. Aveley pumped their balls upfield and relied heavily on flick ons from their forwards, but a well placed low pass upfield to Jackman looked very dangerous, as he sped on goalwards, and Brightly made the save of the match with a good dive to the right to keep the well placed shot out of goal. Aveley’s shooting was way off, with most efforts disappearing towards the Ingrebourne behind the goal – yes, the river does flow behind the goal, before veering westwards behind the Riverside – and anything which looked remotely dangerous was simply headed back upfield by a dominant McFarlane and an equally resolute John Purdie.

 

Tomlinson to Ryan Lee, and then out to Janney on the wing, and another corner, which Tomlinson took and McFarlane headed just over. Then Janney to Tomlinson, whose shot was blocked, and the ball was played back again to Tomlinson whose follow up shot was only just wide. Tomlinson again, chipping the ball into the middle, and Kris Lee just failed to slide the ball over the line. Aveley came back strongly, Paka hitting a good shot which was deflected out for a corner, and then on came Dave Sadler to add a different style up front. And the substitution paid quick dividends, when Sadler made ground on the wing, played the ball in low, and a defender hooked it away, only for SIMON PARKER, from a very narrow angle, to hammer it home. Three up, now we can all relax. But Aveley could not, comes Amos, and when Amos is on, everyone expects. And we did not have long to wait, for it was Foyewa who made the long run which ended with SIMON PARKER nodding home, and Foyewa again, twisting and turning and finding SIMON PARKER, whose cracked home his hattrick in just nine minutes and twelve seconds. It might have been pouring with rain all over Aveley (this being a slightly amended description of what Hornchurch were doing), but at Bridge Avenue it was a heatwave, as the strands of Hawaii Five O echoed around the ground. Sadler then won the ball on the left and fed Tomlinson, Palmer saving well, and a Glozier free kick was again won by Sadler, whose cross found Foyewa, who turned the ball back to Ryan Lee, whose shot skimmed the post with the last shot of the match.