Nationwide South
Monday 30th August 2004
	Hornchurch	2 - 1	Weymouth
Matthews 4', Purser 24'		H/T 2 - 1 Att:1110	Claridge (pen) 21'

Match Highlights

Hornchurch

Weymouth

Matthews - GOAL	4
	21	GOAL - Claridge (pen)
Purser - GOAL	24
	56	OFF - Wilkinson ON - Buckle
Elam - OFF Sigere - ON	60
	66	OFF - Wilde ON - Hutchinson
Caskey - OFF Harris - ON Clark - OFF Shipp - ON	68
	73	OFF - Gibbs ON - Eribenne
	86	SENT OFF - Matthews
Searle - MISSED Pen	86

A four figure crowd turned out for this early meeting between the pre-season title favourites with Weymouth yet to ignite their season.

We began much like we began our game at Sutton the previous Saturday.  After Darren Caskey and Shaun Carey had early chances go narrowly wide of the mark we took the lead in the 4th minute, Lee Matthews heading in at the far post after a Damon Searle corner was allowed to travel all the way across goal.  Lee Elam shot wide from 18 yards on 13 minutes after Wayne Purser took advantage of a defensive misunderstanding and just two minutes later Purser himself brought out a good save from Jason Matthews after running iacross the edge of the area and sweeping a shot goalwards.  Things were looking grim for the visitors but they began to look better shortly after.  Shaun Wilkinson headed just over from a Steve Tully cross on 20 minutes, but a minute later they were awarded a penalty after Lee Matthews was adjudged to have brought down Lee Phillips.  Manager Steve Claridge stepped up and made no mistake with his spot kick, sending Mark Westhead the wrong way.

But they were to remain on level terms for only three minutes.  Matthews was unable to hold a Kirk Jackson shot from just inside the Weymouth penalty area and Purser was quick to react and bundle the loose ball home.  Just before half time Weymouth came close to another equaliser when Phillips got clear down the left, slotted the ball through the legs of the advancing Westhead but watched as the ball agonisingly drifted wide of the target and into the side-netting.

We started the second half with a similar purpose to the first and could have gone further ahead ten minutes in.  Steve Clark beat his marker on the left hand side and sent in a low cross to the far post where Purser, throwing his body bravely at the ball, was unlucky to see his effort pass inches past the post. A minute later a Darren Caskey shot was deflected wide but the game quickly entered a scrappy phase.  Weymouth worked hard to find an equaliser but Westhead had little to do  A Claridge header on 75 minutes from a free-kick looked dangerous but Westhead plucked it out of the air with ease.  The drama returned with 5 minutes to go when Jean-Michel Sigere, put clear by a Purser through ball, was brought down by a combination of defender Robbie Pethick and keeper Matthews.  A penalty was awarded and Matthews, somewhat controversially, sent off. Pethick, who had also earlier denied Sigere on 69 minutes when he was also put clear by Purser, donned the keeper's jersey and kept Weymouth's hopes alive by saving Damon Searle's spot kick.

 

As Weymouth continued to press deep into injury time it seemed to the Hornchurch faithful that the referee would never blow his whistle and so it was with some relief when it finally came.

Video Highlights

- 4 mins. Lee Matthews heads us in front (420KB)
- 13 mins. An 18 yard drive from Lee Elam goes just wide (460KB)
- 15 mins. Keeper Jason Matthews saves well from Wayne Purser (415KB)
- 20 mins. Weymouth's Shaun Wilkinson heads just over (420KB)
- 21 mins. Steve Claridge equalises from the spot (710KB)
- 24 mins. Wayne Purser restores our lead (800KB)
- 40 mins. Weymouth's Lee Phillips shoots into the side-netting (370KB)
- 55 mins. Purser heads just wide from a Steve Clark cross (420KB)
- 69 mins. A great tackle from Robbie Pethick denies Jean-Michel Sigere (360KB)
- 76 mins. Westhead saves comfortably from a Claridge header (250KB)
- 86 mins. Pethick saves from Damon Searle's spot kick (600KB)

Pictures

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  Teamss

Hornchurch Mark Westhead Scott Gooding Damon Searle Jamie Stuart Lee Matthews Shaun Carey Lee Elam Darren Caskey Kirk Jackson Wayne Purser Steve Clark SUBS Steve West Adie Harris Danny Shipp Jean-Michel Sigere Ashley Bayes

- 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 * 12 14 15 16 17

Weymouth Jason Matthews Steve Tully Paul Gibbs Nathan Bunce Dave Waterman Robbie Pethick Martin Barlow Shaun Wilkinson Steve Claridge Adam Wilde Lee Phillips SUBS Paul Buckle Matt Bound Chukki Eribenne Ian Hutchinson Jamie Impey

Man of the Match Nominated by ...

Weather Conditions:  Cool, cloudy. Sunny spells.
 

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