Essex Senior Cup 1st Round
Tuesday 1st November 2005
	Braintree Town	4 - 0	AFC Hornchurch
Hawes 29' 62', Agyemang 39' Baker 90'		H/T 2-0 Att:192

Match Highlights

Braintree Town

AFC Hornchurch

Porter - BOOKED	28
Hawes - GOAL	29
Agyemang - GOAL	39
Hawes - GOAL	62
Porter - OFF Lockwood - ON	66
	69	OFF - Williamson ON - Burbridge
	73	OFF - King ON - Longman
Toku - OFF Crick - ON	74
	78	OFF - Hambley ON - Bull
Agyemang - OFF Smith - ON	80
	85	MISSED Pen - D Cowley
Baker - GOAL	90

Match Report by Tony Middleton
 

Anyone entering the ground in the dark ran the risk of ploughing through the biggest puddle in car parking history, as lighting was at a premium. Once inside the ground you were offered an iron burger, which turned out to be a rather large helping of sausage, bacon, burger and cheese, in the new look refreshment kiosk which previously served as the club shop in a very neat and modernised Braintree ground.

Urchins were without Nicky Cowley, who had a calf injury, and Russell Williamson came into the starting line up after his promising debut at Tilbury last week. It was Holland who had the first chance of the match when he ran on to a long upfield pass by Bostock, but his attempt to lob the ball over the tall Braintree centre half failed as Wild did not even need to jump to head clear. With Urchins looking confident, it was a Glen Golby throw which allowed Heale to turn in midfield and chip the ball to Williamson, out on the right, and he made ground down the wing before sending over a low cross which was easily fielded by Waite in goal. Tiffin and Heale next combined to give Williamson another run down the touchline, and he played the ball inside to Danny Cowley, who lofted his centred into the goalmouth where Tomlinson headed away. A Paul Golby long throw from the other side of the field also found Cowley, via Hambley and the resulting cross into the middle saw King outjump Wild to head on, and Waite positioned himself well to save. Braintree looked sharp when coming forward and they won a corner when Bostock had to come back quickly to intercept Martin’s cross. Tuku took the corner which was played back to him by Baker, Tuku then crossed low into the goalmouth where Agyemang miskicked and Michael Collier had an easy task to save. Collier cleared the ball upfield and Williamson ran on to meet it as it dropped behind the defence, flicking on to Holland who could not control the bounce and Waite raced off his line to save when a goal looked likely.

Williamson was given a lot of the ball on the right side, but all too often it skidded off the wet surface and Williamson spend a good deal of time sliding into the bronze coloured leaves which littered the touchline, though his marker was having a difficult time in stopping his runs along the wing. Hambley got into the picture with a long ball out to the left wing to Paul Golby, who returned the ball into the middle to Tiffin who tried an optimistic shot from well outside the area which went over the bar. Williamson then intercepted a poor pass by Wild, and raced off down the leave strewn touchline, but this low cross went begging as no one had moved up quick enough to take advantage of the spreadeagled home defence. A Tiffin – Holland exchange of passes ended with McLaren clearing, whilst Tiffin then set up Cowley and Heale, with McLaren clearing on both occasions, Tiffin again, with sheer persistence when he won the ball and laid it back to Heale. Cowley called for the pass, and immediately played the ball into the goalmouth, where Tomlinson headed away.

Braintree, who were for the most part confined inside their own half, came forward when Hawes found himself with plenty of space in the middle, and Collier came out to save on the edge of the area. His long upfield clearance turned defence into attack and Wild and Waite almost between them let Holland in but Waite recovered to clutch the ball. When Tuku fouled Willamson, Tiffin put the free kick deep into the home goalmouth, where King headed on but Tomlinson hooked the ball away. Porter was then booked for a midfield tackle, which looked innocuous, but the stoppage appeared to unsettle Hornchurch for Paul Golby’s free kick was punted upfield and JAMES HAWES, left with yards of space, ran on to score, with the defence wide open, to give Braintree an unexpected lead.

Urchins came back quickly with Heale again sending Williamson away, but his cross was deflected by Hawes, back in defence, for a corner, which Paul Golby came across to take, and Wild headed out, only as far as Tiffin, who touched the ball back to Bostock, and his prompt centre back into the goalmouth was headed out again by Wild. Collier was called upon soon afterwards to save at the feet of Agyemang followed a long speculative upfield punt by Tomlinson which left the visiting defence once again exposed, and then PAPA AGYEMANG had the relatively easy task of heading into the net when he was left unmarked in the middle to meet a centre from the right wing. Holland could have pulled a goal back on half time with a shot on the turn which went wide.

Two down at the interval, Urchins had had the better of the play territorially but Braintree looked much sharper in front of goal, whilst Hornchurch had not really troubled Waite in the home goal. This almost changed in the first minute of the second half, when Cowley found Holland with a free kick, but Holland’s header lacked power and Waite saved. At the other end, Tomlinson’s cross found Agyemang, whose spectacular overhead kick went inches wide of the goal, and then Urchins enjoyed their best spell of the match, starting when Paul Golby’s corner from the left was met by a King header, which Shipton deflected wide for another corner, again taken by Paul Golby. This time Braintree survived a loud appeal of hand ball, with the ball being touched out for another corner, this time on the left. Tiffin took the kick but the ball was played in too low and was easily cleared. Heale then sent Holland away with a neat chip over Wild, but Holland’s finish was poor and Waite saved. Baker hit the post with a first time long range shot and the ball was played back quickly for Agyemang, who chipped the ball over Collier and onto the bar, where JAMES HAWES followed up to score.

Three down, it was time for a change, and on came Rikki Burbridge for Williamson, and Luke Longman for King, and then Hambley came off to give the Charlie Bull fan club something to shout about. Burbridge made his presence felt, and the Urchins began to look as if they wanted to score, instead of being content to pass the ball across the field and back again. A long ball from Burbridge reached Cowley who pumped it into the middle, where Waite was beaten and Holland, left with a seemingly easy task in front of goal, slipped over on the wet surface and put the shot wide of the goal.

Heale then found Burbridge, whose hard volley forced Waite into his first real save of the match, whilst at the other end Collier did well to save from Robbie Martin who had been left unmarked as he ran in from the right. A Paul Golby corner found Burbridge whose hard drive brought another good save out of Waite, and then it was penalty time, following a foul in the area. Danny Cowley took the kick, sent Waite the wrong way, and the ball cannoned back off the post for miss number six of the season, and a minute later Charlie Bull netted from a cross from the right, but the linesman had signalled that the ball had already crossed the touchline before it was centred. Right on time, JAMES BAKER stabbed home a cross from the left, thanks once again to slack marking in defence, the four goal margin being somewhat unfair on Urchins, who however had only themselves to blame, having created plenty of opportunities, but failing to trouble the home keeper. Whilst Braintree, with far fewer scoring chances, had always looked more dangerous in front of goal.

Video Highlights by Rob Monger

- 29mins. James Hawes puts Braintree in front (510KB)
- 39mins. Papa Agyemang puts Braintree 2-0 up (540KB)
- 62mins. Hawes gets his second of the evening (590KB)
- 90mins. James Baker completes the scoring (400KB)

  Teams

Braintree Town Jamie Waite Craig Tomlinson Danny Shipton Ross McLaren Chris Wild Robbie Martin James Hawes Andy Porter (c) Papa Agyemang James Baker Prince Toku SUBS Peter Davis Mark Crick Chris Lockwood Tekcan Tek Chris Smith

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

AFC Hornchurch Michael Collier Greg Tiffin Paul Golby Glen Golby Steve King Jordan Bostock (c) Russell Williamson Danny Cowley Billy Holland Danny Heale Timmy Hambley SUBS Rikki Burbridge Gareth Thomas Luke Longman Charlie Bull

Man of the Match Nominated by ...

Match Officials: J Lodge with S Gillman and S Langsdon

Weather Conditions:  Clear - wind speed zero

Match duration: First half 44mins 54secs, Second half 48mins 14secs
 

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