Essex Senior League Cup Group C Match
Tuesday 16th August 2005
	Hornchurch	5 - 1	London APSA
Holland 17', 59', 73', 74' (pen) Heale 39'		H/T 2-0 Att: 299	Dakri 76'

Match Highlights

AFC Hornchurch

London APSA

Holland - GOAL	17
Heale - GOAL	39
N Cowley - OFF Makitu - ON	40
		OFF - Stamp ON - Ibrahim
Holland - GOAL	59
Bull - OFF Dear - ON	59
	65	OFF - Miller ON - Daniel
	72	OFF - Gannon ON - Samateer
Holland - GOAL	73
Holland (pen) - GOAL	74
	76	GOAL - Dakri
Holland - OFF Pamplin - ON	78

Match Report by Tony Middleton

A league cup match is perhaps not the ideal way to start off the season at home, but a crowd of 299 none the less turned out, despite there being no travelling support present. Charlie Bull and Leigh Hawkes both made their debuts in the starting line up. Urchins made a slow start, taking their time in making sure that passes did not go astray, and playing much more to the wings than on Saturday. With Nicky Cowley on the right and Charlie Bull on the left, tactics were noticeably different. But it was Golby’s long kick out to the left wing which could have led to the first goal, for Bull raced past Dain, but then turned the ball back inside to Sontag, whose prompt cross into the middle had Rafis coming off his line to punch clear from Holland. Holland was again in possession, this time from Bostock, and he played the ball out to the right where Cowley’s cross was well held by Rafis.

Bull nearly opened the scoring with an opportunist attempt from out on the left, when he looked up and found Rafis well out of goal, but the ball dropped onto the roof of the net, and then Holland sent Cowley clear through the middle, but Bryson was quick to intercept. APSA soon decided that banging the ball upfield was the easiest way to give them a respite from the continuous onslaught, and the ballboys had plenty to do to recover the ball, especially when from one long clearance, there was one in the tree on the river side of the ground. Steve King often came up to join in and it was his neat pass inside Hussain which picked out Nicky Cowley, whose centre was tipped over the bar by keeper Rafis. Cowley took the corner, and King headed over the bar, and then King was thwarted again by Rafis who held on to his next header, again from Cowley’s cross. Perry was put clear by Golby, but the finishing shot was easily held by Rafis, and Perry again broke through, this time being stopped by Hussain’s timely tackle.

A goal looked inevitable, and it was BILLY HOLLAND who got onto the end of King’s centre to head home after 17 minutes. APSA came back right away, with Miller driving in a long range shot which Hawkes could not hold, but no one was on hand to follow up as the ball ran loose. But it was virtually all one way, and Heale was sent through by Holland, but chipped his shot too high and it went over the bar. Next it was Holland to Cowley to Tiffin, who cut inside and hit a low shot past Rafis but into the side netting, and then another Cowley cross saw King running in, but Rafis grabbed the ball just in time. Holland again, from Bostock’s run which had taken him past three defenders, and inside to Heale, but his shot was far too weak and Rafis gathered easily.

APSA broke clear and Butler’s solo attempt was headed out by Golby, who played the ball to King, who in turn put a long pass upfield to Holland, only for keeper Rafis to rush out of this area to kick clear. The second goal, on 39 minutes, came when DANNY HEALE headed home from Bull’s corner, but a minute later Nicky Cowley had to leave the field with a hamstring injury, and Ket Koka-Makitu came on, getting into the action right away and winning a free kick, which Heale hammered high over the wall and also over the bar. Then it was Ket once again, this time rounding Bryson before shooting, and the ball rebounded off Maher for a corner.

The pattern was much the same in the second half, with Sontag making the running on the left, and Makitu, who originally played as a forward before reverting to defence, creating problems on the right. Holland headed over from Sontag’s cross, and then Makitu beat Higley and chipped the keeper, the ball drifting narrowly wide of the far post. APSA were still looking dangerous on the few occasions they were able to come forward, and Miller sent Dakri clear, and Hawkes did well to save at his feet. Sontag was by now finding a lot of room on the left, and when he outpaced Dain and sent the ball low into the goalmouth, where it skimmed past the far post. Then Sontag picked up Heale whose shot appeared to be handled by a defender. Sontag then decided to go it along, and his shot beat Rafis but hit the side netting. Makitu was making a vast impression on the right and it was his centre that found BILLY HOLLAND who scored his second of the night.

Ket again, this time solo, and his final shot hit Dakri, now deep in defence, and rebounded as far as Heale, whose own shot was also blocked. Holland then came in from the right, and his shot was saved by the over-worked Rafis. The fourth goal followed when BILLY HOLLAND headed home from Tiffin’s long free kick. Sean Dear had replaced Bull, and unlikely substitution of a defender for a winger, but Dear had other ideas, and continually moved upfield, and his inter-play with Heale gave APSA more than a few concerns as they time and again opened up the left side of the field, with Sontag often joining in. BILLY HOLLAND crashed home a penalty for the fifth, and his fourth of the night, but MOHAMMED DAKRI pulled a goal back with a low shot which beat the diving Hawkes.

Dakri could have had another shortly after, but this time Hawkes saved, turning the ball out for a corner, from which the ball bobbed around in the goalmouth before Golby eventually punted it well upfield to safety. Both King and Perry went close, and then Perry again, this time seeing his shot drop onto the roof of the net, before Sontag played an excellent ball into the goalmouth, where no one was in position to touch it home. Pamplin joined in, and twice in quick succession cut in from the left, with Rafis saving on both occasions. But it was APSA who nearly scored again, when Hawkes was the only person not caught by surprise by a quick free kick, and he tipped the ball over the bar. With many stoppages it was something of a surprise when the final whistle went after only five minutes stoppage time.
 

Video Highlights by Rob Monger

- 17mins. Billy Holland puts us in front (550KB)
- 39mins. Danny Heale gives us a 2-0 interval lead (600KB)
- 59mins. Billy Holland gets our third....(620KB)
- 73mins. ...then gets his third (500KB)
- 74mins. Billy Holland makes it 5-0 from the spot (480KB)
- Interview with man of the match Billy Holland (710KB)

  Teams

AFC Hornchurch Leigh Hawkes Greg Tiffin Lee Sontag Glen Golby Steve King Jordan Bostock (c) Nicky Cowley Lee Perry Billy Holland Danny Heale Charlie Bull SUBS Asa Pamplin Lee Burbridge Sean Dear Ket Koka-Makitu Michael Collier

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

London APSA Adam Rafis John Butler Gary Bryson Majid Hussain Raymond Mayer John Higley Jack Stamp Mohammed Dakri Luke Dain Daryl Gannon Duane Miller SUBS Bilal Bapu Abdi Samateer Zabir Ibrahim Sultan Malik Daniel

Man of the Match Billy Holland

Match Officials: Lee Dorling with Paul Falvey and Adrian Amey

Weather Conditions:  Sunny at start 22 degrees - clear at finish 19 degrees

Match Duration: First half - 46mins 44secs, Second half - 50mins 04secs
 

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