Westview Essex Senior League
Saturday 5th November 2005
	Bowers & Pitsea United	0 - 1	AFC Hornchurch
		H/T 0-0 Att:	Burbridge 90+4

Match Highlights

Bowers & Pitsea United

AFC Hornchurch

Bennett - BOOKED	46
Swindells - OFF Marron - ON	68
	75	OFF - Hambley ON - Longman
	77	OFF -Heale ON - Burbridge
Bennett - OFF Lander - ON	82
	83	OFF - N Cowley ON - Williamson
?? - OFF Read - ON	45+2
	45+4	GOAL - Burbridge

Match Report by Tony Middleton

The grass was long and thick, the sand was deep, the flat bits were bumpier than the bumpy bits – but the match was on, and that is all that mattered. It was immediately apparent that the pitch was not going to be suitable for any form of ball skill, and Nicky Cowley found this out in the first minute when the ball bobbed as he went to shoot and he hit it wide, and Nicky again seconds later set up King who could not control the ball quickly enough to get his shot in. The first free kick of the day followed, with Paul Golby lofting the ball into the middle, where Thomas completely miskicked and the ball dropped onto the head of a surprised Danny Heale, whose header was easily dealt with by Paul Dennis.

Several tackles went unpunished and then Bowers broke clear to win a corner on the left, which Fergus curled into the middle, and Collier punched clear, but only as far as Briggs, whose shot sailed out of the ground. At the other end, Nicky Cowley avoided a lunging tackle, and continued his run almost to the corner flag, then turned the ball into the goalmouth, where it bounced off the bar and out of play. Heale then took a pass from Bostock and played the ball back to Paul Golby, but the ball bobbled and the resulting cross was easily hammered away by Doherty. Another Paul Golby cross found King running in, and his header was well saved by Dennis. When Darren Bennett conceded a throw on the right, it was Paul Golby who picked out Hambley, who turned and centred, but the ball went too far and King fielded it on the other side of the pitch and returned it into the middle, where Swindells and Dennis between them bundled it out of play with Holland coming in fast, although a foul was given against Holland instead of the corner.

Danny Heale needed lengthy treatment following a tackle by Guest, and although the referee took no action, Heale was left limping badly, and from then on it was a case of not holding on to the ball too long, as Bowers’ tackling was somewhat enthusiastic, and for the most part it went unpenalised. Danny Cowley then dispossessed Guest in midfield and played a long pass out to Paul Golby whose cross found King running in, and though the header was on target, Paul Dennis saved almost under the bar. A Paul Golby throw in was then back headed by King, and Dennis again saved well, but despite the pressure Urchins were not creating any real chances. Nicky Cowley was badly fouled but was able to get up and take the free kick, with King again rising to the ball and getting in a solid header, but from the clearance upfield, Bowers powered down the left and Ready won a corner, which Fergus swerved dangerously into the goalmouth and Collier did well to hold on to the ball almost under the bar.

Hambley then completely miskicked a cross, as the ball bounced up off the uneven ground and managed instead to kick it over his shoulder and out of play, but nearly made amends with a shot on the turn when he twisted past a lunging tackle and hammered the ball only inches wide of the post. Glen Golby broke up a promising Bowers move on the left, and then came the save of the match, when Paul Dennis dived full length to turn a vicious shot from Hambley over the bar. Despite this being the save of the season, the referee awarded a goal kick. With Urchins well on top, it still took a last second recovery from Bostock to keep Shelley out, when he broke clear, and Shelley again shortly afterwards hit a shot wide of the post, whilst at the other end, it was Holland who flicked a cross over Dennis but offside was given as the ball bounced loose in front of goal.

Swindells intercepted a pass inside his own half, and quickly hit the ball upfield, where Glen Bennett ran on, and Bostock tackled to concede a corner, which Briggs overhit and the ball went out harmlessly on the far side. Heale then received from Holland and rounded Swindells, but hit the shot wide. Nicky Cowley then went on a long run which took him into the penalty area where he was pulled down, but no penalty was given, to the annoyance of the away following, though all the Urchins players looked relieved that they would not have to take the penalty. Tiffin moved up the right, and swung the ball into the centre, where King headed on for Heale, who beat Dennis to the ball but the referee awarded a free kick to Bowers. Almost on half time, Nicky Cowley needed lengthy treatment following another late tackle – late being the polite way to describe the tackle, and seconds later, with Holland hammered by a heavy tackle, Martyn Guest, whose own tackling had been subject to a certain amount of criticism from the terraces throughout the first half, was himself felled by a somewhat over zealous tackle.

Talking point at half time was whether the referee was remember to bring a notebook and pencil out for the second half, whilst a quick crowd count revealed that there were approximately 140 away supporters in the ground. The floodlights were put on at half time, and they had an interesting battle with the darkening sky. Tiffin was in the action right away with a free kick to Holland, who was brought down, and Bennett was shown a yellow card, which proved to be the only card of the day. Nicky Cowley took the free kick but Thomas headed away, and another free kick followed, which Heale hit hard into the wall, and Nicky Cowley followed up to also hit the ball into the same wall. Collier was called upon to field a long clearance, and he pumped the ball deep into the Bowers half where Heale touched on to Holland, whose shot on the turn went over the bar.

Bowers for a short time came more into the match, with Urchins frequently giving the ball away in midfield, mainly due to trying to play their passes along the ground, which had little effect as the ball simply slowed up on the soft surface. Glen Bennett narrowly missed a cross from the right, which Bostock hooked away, and then Briggs floated a free kick over to the far post where three Bowers players, all unmarked, ran in for the ball, and between them they all managed to miss it. And then Shelley took advantage of a midfield slip up to race clear. Collier came out, and did enough to force Shelley to hook his shot wide of the post.

Urchins slowly got back into the match, with a hard long range shot from King which brought an excellent save from Paul Dennis, this being the first real threat to the home goal. And seconds later it was King once again, this time taking a pass from Hambley, but though he beat the defence, he put his shot wide. Holland was next to find himself in a shooting position, forcing Thomas into a wild kick at the ball, which almost ended up in the goal, had not Dennis been alert to save what was surely a back pass. Guest then hammered the ball wildly out of play, and Paul Golby’s throw found Holland but his header was weak and Dennis saved easily. Tiffin then made ground along the right, and played a through pass to Nicky Cowley, whose cross found Holland, but he ran the ball out of play before he could turn it back across goal.

Holland had another scoring chance when King put him away down the middle, but though he rounded Thomas, his shot was wide of the goal. Nicky Cowley then tried a long range shot when he intercepted a clearance by Thomas, but it lacked direction. Heale to Holland, Holland to King, King back to Holland, and Brady conceded a corner, which Paul Golby overhit and the ball ran out of play for a goal kick. Heale went off, and Rikki Burbridge came on, whilst Hambley was replaced by Longman, and Williamson came on for Nicky Cowley. Longman was first in the action, hitting a shot over the bar, but this was the first time in the match that anyone had simply hit the ball towards the goal, without trying to play it through the soft midfield. Rikki did not take long to make his mark, turning on the edge of the area and hammering in a shot which Dennis saved well. Williamson quickly found that the heavy surface was not suitable for his customary runs along the wing, so he played the ball inside to Burbridge, who again went close. Holland then went clear on the left, but was crowded out and could not get in a cross or a shot. Then Paul Golby played the ball high into the middle, and Burbridge headed wide. With Urchins over stretched up front, right on 90 minutes they found themselves totally exposed at the back, when Collier had to come out of this area to attempt to field a long hopeful upfield ball. The Bowers player flicked the ball round Collier, and homed in towards the empty goal. Collier raced back, flung himself headlong at the ball, and it proved just enough, as the Bowers player (name withheld to avoid him any acute embarrassment) was just distracted enough, and he hammered the ball high over the bar, and it sailed out of the ground and into the darkness, being briefly lit up by a passing rocket and then disappearing into oblivion, with police sirens wailing in the background as the ball headed towards Pitsea market.

With over five minutes added on in the first half a further four minutes had elapsed and Urchins continued to move forward. And then, three minutes and 32 seconds into the second half, and two minutes after the Bowers player had sent the ball into orbit, it was Collier to Tiffin, Tiffin ran forward, the defence back peddling, Tiffin puts the ball into the middle, Holland dummies, and Burbridge turns and hammers it into the net, to send 140 Urchins into delirium. A thoroughly deserved victory, as the Urchins had received more than their share of heavy tackles from the home side, and had been given no protection at all.

Video Highlights by Rob Monger

- 4mins. Rikki Burbridge scores a last gasp winner (1MB)
- Post mach interview with defender Paul Golby (2.7MB)

  Teams

Bowers & Pitsea Utd Paul Dennis Adam Swindells Greg Briggs Martyn Guest Glen Thomas Paul Doherty Darren Bennett (c) Stuart Fergus Glen Bennett Luke Shelley Mark Berry SUBS Paul Lander Ronnie Bridges Neil Marron Anthony Read Anthony Parker

- 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) Nicky Cowley Danny Cowley Billy Holland Danny Heale Timmy Hambley SUBS Luke Longman Rikki Burbridge Russell Williamson Gareth Thomas Charlie Bull

Man of the Match Nominated by ...

Weather Conditions:  Overcast 11 degrees - wind speed zero - light rain in last 10 minutes

Match Duration: First half 50mins 1sec, Second half 49mins 27secs
 

AFC Hornchurch Forum Latest Posts