Westview Essex Senior League
Saturday 3rd December 2005
	AFC Hornchurch	1 - 0	Barkingside
Heale 76'		H/T 0-0 Att:443

Match Highlights

AFC Hornchurch

Barkingside

Burbridge - BOOKED	46
Bull - BOOKED	64
Bull - OFF Everett - ON	71
Holland - OFF Drake - ON	73
Heale - GOAL	76
Burbridge - OFF Hambley - ON	76
	80	OFF - Williams ON - Darbo
	82	BOOKED - Limianij
	89	BOOKED - Harkins
Tiffin - BOOKED	90+4	BOOKED - Diaczuk

Match Report by Tony Middleton
 

Heavy rain prior to the kick off did not prevent a crowd of 443 turning out for this top of the table match. Danny Cowley was forced to miss out through injury, and Charlie Bull was included in the starting line up, along with Steve King, who missed the previous match. With Rikki Burbridge also in the starting eleven, the emphasis was clearly on attack. Barkingside won the toss and made Urchins kick towards the restaurant end of the ground, and the visitors won a corner in the first minute, Williams swinging the ball over from the left, but it was too long and Longman shielded it out of play with Harkins in close attendance. Urchins settled quickly, but there looked no danger when Steve King overhit a through ball, but Newcombe was slow to react and eventually had to kick hurriedly clear as Tiffin homed in at speed.

Urchins quickly forced ‘Side onto the defensive and in the second minute Danny Heale’s shot sent Newcombe the wrong way, but the ball hit Newcombe’s legs and rebounded to Billy Holland who touched it over the line, the goal being disallowed for offside. Steady pressure built up and when Holland played the ball out to Heale on the left, he in turn slid a pass through to Burbridge, on the right, and his low cross skimmed across goal, with Charlie Bull sliding in but unable to reach the ball. Nicky Cowley was then fouled by Simmons, but put the free kick too close to Newcombe, and Cowley again threatened, with a run in from the right which took him past his marker, but his shot was blocked and the ball rebounded to safety. Cowley then sent another free kick into a packed goalmouth and Scotchmer headed away, whilst Wielenski, who made one first team appearance for Urchins last season, then broke up two wing runs by Charlie Bull in quick succession.

A Holland shot was deflected by Newcombe for a corner, which Longman overhit, the wind taking the ball out of play on the other side of the pitch. One goal at this point, and it could have been an avalanche, but the goal would not come. Tiffin sent a shot past the far post, and then a Tiffin centre was headed wide by Burbridge, who was causing a lot of problems in the visiting defence. Cowley’s cross found Holland, whose header was touched around the post, and Tiffin’s corner was headed downwards by Holland and Simmons cleared from off the line, turning the ball out for another corner, which Bull swung over and again the ball was cleared off the line. King’s through ball led to another corner, and Longman played it short to Tiffin, took a quick return, which gave him a shooting opportunity, but his shot hit the side netting.

Barkingside then came close to scoring, when an Urchins attacked was stopped with what appeared to be a hand ball on the edge of the area. With Urchins appealing, the ball was punted upfield and Diaczuk found himself on his own, and with the ball at his feet and no one marking him. He ran on, Collier came out to narrow the angle, and Diaczuk fired his shot wide. The same player then tried a long shot which Collier fielded, despite the ball taking an awkward bounce off the wet surface, and then Golby conceded a corner, which Williams took, and Bostock headed out, for a corner on the other side of the pitch. Williams took this as well, and Collier rose up to punch out, with Bostock completing the clearance, and finding Holland up front. Holland to Cowley, Cowley back to Holland, whose shot was just too high.

Plenty of discussion at half time – would Urchins be able to regain their supremacy, would they find an answer to the elusive Harkins, who was causing all sorts of problems, and did the second floodlight pylon on the riverside need an electrician or a psychiatrist, as it seemed to have a mind all of its own. Urchins started the second half with a forceful move on the left, which ended with Burbridge being booked, following a tackle on Harkins, with the first indications also that Barkingside were perhaps lacking in discipline, as they converged rapidly on the referee, with keeper Newcombe taking the free kick, and pumping the ball long upfield where Bostock cleared to Cowley, who was fouled, and Longman floated in a free kick which reached Holland and the ball was then deflected around the post for a corner which Newcombe punched away with Burbridge and King homing in quickly. A Glen Golby long throw in led to a vociferous hand ball appeal which the referee declined, so loud being the appeal that the floodlight once again went out in protest. But ‘Side were still in with a chance, as was proved when Simmons put a well flighted free kick into the goalmouth. Collier punched away, but Diaczuk was first onto the ball, and his headed attempt was dropping under the bar, until King popped up to head away. Then Diaczuk made ground and moved in from the left, Bostock racing back to concede a corner, taken as per usual by Williams. Collier punched clear, this time the ball falling to Hines, who hit his shot wide. Burbridge found Holland whose long range first time shot was just too high, and soon afterwards, Cowley wasted a free kick, ballooning the ball high over the bar. Urchins turned defence into attack when Simmons free kick was cleared up to Cowley, who played it out to Bull on the wing, and thence to Holland, who was pulled down in full flight, without any sign of a yellow card. Longman hammered the free kick into the wall. Tiffin, to Heale, and Heale up to Holland, who was through but was called back for offside. Urchins were caught out when a long clearance found Diaczuk unmarked, and his cross reached an equally unmarked Hines, whose shot was both high and wide. A Longman solo run ended with a shot which was well saved, and then Billy Drake and Terry Everett came on, with both soon in the action, Everett setting up Drake who won a corner, which Tiffin took, and which DANNY HEALE headed home, the goal sparking off a most impressive celebration, both on and off field. Time to strength the defence, and Hambley came on for Burbridge, which must have been a relief to the visiting defence. But they had reckoned without Drake, whose constant running was causing them a lot of problems, and as Urchins began to dominate once again, so the visitors began to lose their composure, and refereeing decisions were frequently loudly disputed. Hambley could have set up the second goal, with a long pass which almost reached Heale, only for Forbes to intercept and he played the ball far upfield, ran forward to take the resulting cross, but was tackled by Everett. Forbes then became involved in an incident with Drake, with most of the Barkingside team joining in, and when the referee sorted it out, Tiffin’s free kick was scrambled away. Longman next with a free kick, into the wall, back to Longman, out to Hambley, touched back to Longman, running down the right wing, but the ball went out of play before he could centre.

Hambley dispossessed Simmons, and sent Longman away, but the cross was misjudged and was easily dealt with by Bly. Another stoppage, for another midfield incident, with Harkins needing treatment following a tackle, to which ‘Side over-reacted, and Danny Heale returned the ball with some force to the keeper when the referee dropped it to restart play. Simmons hit a free kick into the wall, King cleared, but the ball was returned, and Diaczuk found Harkins, who placed the ball wide of Collier and into the net, with the flag oscillating wildly on the far wide. No goal, offside, said the referee, but Barkingside did not agree, and descended en masse towards the linesman, with Harkins being very fortunate to escape with just a yellow card in the ensuing lengthy discussions. Urchins had no difficulty in playing out the remaining time, though in the fourth minute of stoppage time, the referee once again had to dealt with the Barkingside masses, following an incident in the right hand corner of the East Side, which ended with Tiffin being shown a yellow card, which was then waved twice more in the general direction of any two of the eleven visiting players, all of whom appeared to have something to say to the referee. Match over, three points. 700 minutes without conceding a league goal. Top of the league.

Video Highlights by Rob Monger

- 76mins. Danny Heale scores our winner (550KB)
- The post match thoughts of manager John Lawrence (4.5MB)

  Teams

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

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

Barkingside Lee Newcombe Lee Forbes Barry Simmons Prezemyslaw Wielenski Terry Scotchmer James Bly Dominic Harkins Scott Williams (c) Leon Diaczuk Olir Liminiaj Adam Hines SUBS Roy Darbo Grant Smith James Hosier Greg Thompson James Morriss

Man of the Match Nominated by Craig David & Crew Danny Heale

Weather Conditions:  7 degrees at start, 5 degrees at finish. Wind speed - gusting to 15mph. Heavy rain prior to start

Match Officials: Terry Goddard with Mark Bradshaw and Trevor Williams

Match duration: First half 49mins 29secs. Second half 50mins 22secs
 

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