Ryman League Division One North
Saturday 26th August 2006
	AFC Hornchurch	2 - 0	Wivenhoe Town
Lee 17' 68'		H/T 1-0 Att:424

Match Highlights

AFC Hornchurch

Wivenhoe Town

S Parker - OFF Burbridge - ON	14
Lee - GOAL	17
	44	BOOKED - Street
A Parker - OFF Wareham - ON	52
	63	OFF - Gregory ON - Rymer
	67	BOOKED - Townrow
Lee - GOAL	68
	73	OFF - Stace ON - Wignall
	76	OFF - Shepherd ON - Sterling
Burbridge - OFF Holland - ON	79

Match Report by Tony Middleton

John Purdie failed a late fitness test and Jordan Bostock came back into the starting line up, with Jim McFarlane taking over as captain, and Greg Tiffin returning to the squad. One other change was that the home dug-out was moved ten yards to the right. With both teams unbeaten a close game looked likely, although a Fletcher pass upfield gave Mark Janney an opening and he flicked the ball ahead of Lee, whose shot was cleared by Wake for a throw, which was quickly taken to Simon Parker, who won a corner. However the referee changed his mind and pointed to a goal kick one the lineman’s signal, which must have cause the referee assessor in the stand to scribble quite a few words down.

Wivenhoe had a good proportion of the play, and their first real chance came when Shepherd’s free kick swerved in and McFarlane hooked it away, hard upfield, and Simon Parker raced onto the ball, homed in on goal, swerved around Sanders, and then simply could not screw it back into the net, when a goal looked likely. Minutes later it was Lee and Janney who exchanged passes, Lee’s cross earning a corner. Janney took the kick, Southon headed powerfully goalwards, and hit the post, the ball then hitting a defender and going out for another corner. Janney took the kick against and Adam Parker headed just over the bar.

Bostock then headed out from Shepherd’s free kick, and Janney cleared from Wake’s swerving corner. And then disaster for the Urchins when Simon Parker went off injured, but on came Rikki Burbridge who straight away won the ball in midfield and touched switched play to Adam Parker on the left, and from his cross Lee went close.

A goal began to look inevitable as Wivenhoe struggled to withstand the constant pressure, and it was KRIS LEE who opened the scoring with a fine solo run, holding off two challenges before gliding the ball home, after first appearing to have overrun the ball. Wivenhoe had a chance to score soon afterwards, but Brothers shot weakly from thirty yards out and Brightley saved easily. Burbridge was clearly enjoying himself and his excellent upfield pass to Lee opened up the defence, with Lee’s lobbed shot just being held by an overworked Sanders in the visiting goal.

Burbridge again, this time feeding Janney, with Janney racing along the wing and forcing Sanders into another excellent save. Wivenhoe came back, Wake through to Neil Gregory, only recently playing in the conference with Canvey, and it was Jordan again who cleared. A Shepherd corner was then played too short and an opportunity wasted as Cross nipped in to clear. Adam Parker was fouled in midfield, and needed lengthy treatment, the eventual free kick by Glozier drifting through a packed penalty area. Janney and Burbridge next linked up to set up Adam Parker, who flicked the ball past Sanders but could not get to it before it ran out. A Shepherd free kick was headed over by Gregory, and then Gregory headed a pass back to Shepherd whose shot was just too high.

Lee to Janney and Mark’s run was followed by a low shot which Sanders stopped, and almost on half time Glozier’s free kick fell to Janney whose shot cannoned out off the bar.

Plenty to talk about at half time, as so far no one had hit the ball out of the ground, whilst, despite Max’s attempts at finding a winner, not one person came up to claim the winning raffle tickets. Half time question was – which Urchin player captained his side on his debut, but had to wait 21 months before actually making the starting line up at Bridge Avenue?

A disastrous start to the second half, with Adam Parker being forced to go off after another lengthy period of treatment, Ross Wareham coming on in his place. Before Urchins could regroup, Shepherd rattled the bar with a free kick, and Thomas turned quickly onto a centre and hit a hard volley against the bar. Brightley then saved from Gregory and hit a long ball up to Wareham, who hesitated too long and Townrow was able to tackle. Brightley held a good shot from Shepherd, and then Cross set up Wareham on the left, his cross finding Lee, and Sanders saving. Urchins took control again, Southon heading close from Janney’s centre, and Southon again, this time from a Janney free kick. Then Glozier broke up a Wivenhoe move on the right, and sent Lee away. Lee rounded Sanders and then screwed the ball back across goal from a narrow angle, the ball just running wide of the bar post.

Burbridge went close, and Lee then won a corner, with a long delay before Janney could take the kick, as Townrow was booked by the referee. Over came the corner, a huge goalmouth scramble, and the ball was half cleared, only back to Janney on the left. Back into the middle and KRIS LEE rose to head home the second goal. Urchins were now rampant, Janney running through and laying the ball out to Cross on the right, his shot beating the keeper but going wide. Wareham’s solo run ended with another corner, whilst Billy Holland, just on for the hard working and non stop Rikki Burbridge, almost beat Sanders to Wareham’s high cross. A Janney corner was cleared off the line, and then, in stoppage time, Janney dispossessed a defender and ran through, his shot streaking inches wide.

Three wins, top of the league, nine goals, but injuries to Simon Parker and Adam Parker.

And who was the Urchin who waiting 21 months to make the starting line up after captaining them on his debut? Jeff Shepherd, who had worked so tirelessly for Wivenhoe, and who captained the side at the now legendary Arlesey match.

  Teams

AFC Hornchurch Dale Brightley Ronnie Fletcher Danny Glozier Jordan Bostock Jim McFarlane (c) Adam Parker Garry Cross Mark Janney Kris Lee Simon Parker Jamie Southon SUBS Andy Tomlinson Ross Wareham Rikki Burbridge Billy Holland Greg Tiffin

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

Wivenhoe Town Ollie Sanders Tabani Mabvura Ben Wake Lee Townrow Matt Stace Jeff Shepherd Paul Hillier (c) Gareth Street Neil Gregory Simon Thomas Michael Brothers SUBS Jack Wignall Terry Rymer Jerome Boyce Earl Sterling Brad David

Man of the Match Nominated by Kilo Cars Kris Lee

Weather Conditions:  21 degrees - sunny with a 10mph wind

Match Officials: Barry Holderness with Glen Tilley and John Taverner

Match duration: First half 48mins 12 secs. Second half 48mins 36secs
 

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