Ryman League Division One North
Tuesday 13th March 2007
	Great Wakering Rovers	1 - 3	AFC Hornchurch
Richmond 29'		H/T 1-3 Att: 129	Lee 11', S Parker 39' 45'

Match Highlights

Great Wakering Rovers

AFC Hornchurch

	11	GOAL - Lee
Richmond - GOAL	29
	39	GOAL - S Parker
	45	GOAL - S Parker
Fenttiman - OFF Ettienne-Clark - ON	52
	58	OFF - Janney ON - Foyewa
Wilson - OFF Cole - ON	59	OFF - Fiddes ON - Tomlinson
	63	OFF - Lee ON - Gasper
Richmond - OFF Dosser - ON	80

Match Report by Tony Middleton

Horrendous traffic jams on the approach to Southend meant many late arrivals, with a very late change to the home line up, when Joel Ettienne-Clark did not arrive, and Mike Fenttiman went into the starting line up. For Urchins, the only change was Ron Fletcher back again after injury. The crowd built up slowly, and five minutes before the start the tea bar opened. Hornchurch were in sky blue and white stripes whilst the home side were in green and white stripes. A good start for Urchins, playing down the slight slope, when Parker charged down a clearance and hit a first time shot just over the bar, with Garry Cross then chipping narrowly over the bar shortly after. Great Wakering briefly threatened with a Wilson free kick but Southon had no difficulty in clearing, which led to a prolonged spell of pressure, Janney making a long run down the right wing, leaving defenders trailing, before slipping the ball to Parker, who was well tackled by White, the ball being played back up to Touhy, whose cross was headed out by Purdie. Back up to Cross, out to Janney, who again left defenders frantically covering back, his cross being charged down by Wilson. And then the first goal. Janney started the move, taking up the running on the right, and he sent the ball over to the other side for Fiddes, who in turn found Glozier, and Danny’s cross reached KRIS LEE, with his back to goal, and Kris turned and hammered the ball home. One nil and looking good.

Touhy fired a shot wide, but this was but a brief interlude in a non stop flow of attacks. A Fletcher free kick from the half way line was headed on by Parker, with Wilson doing well to clear, and then Purdie gave Janney an opening, which he took, rounding three defenders, before slipping the ball to Parker , who rounded two more defenders and hit a hard drive goalwards, Green managing to save well at the cost of a corner, which Janney took, the ball being cleared away for a throw. Glozier took the throw and the ball was played back to Glozier whose cross went behind for a goal kick. Gresham conceded a corner, from which Janney floated the ball over, for McFarlane whose header was played back to Cross, and his shot hit Gresham and rebounded to safety. And excellent exchange of passes between Janney, Parker and Glozier ended with a through ball to Lee whose shot was deflected out for a corner, Janney’s kick being cleared upfield, out to Butterworth on the left wing. Butterworth switched play to the right, with a long pass to Pitts who in turn played the ball through to NEIL RICHMOND who turned and cracked his shot into the net, the goal being greeted with a stunned silence.

Urchins came back strongly, Brightly finding Lee with a long clearance, but Kris was crowded out by a mass of defenders White stopped Janney in full flight, and from the free kick Fletcher found Parker, whose first time shot was blocked. Janney did a good impersonation of Stanley Matthews on the right before slipping the ball to Parker, who repeated the performance, before returning the ball to Janney, whose centre was palmed out by Green to Cross, whose first time shot was saved by the diving Green. Then it was Southon to Parker, then to Janney and across to Lee, Green saving yet again. A goal now looked inevitable and it came when Southon won the ball in midfield, as always, and his headed went out to Janney on the right. Janney made ground and crossed, with SIMON PARKER heading home. It could easily have been three when Fletcher’s free kick was headed on by McFarlane to Lee whose fierce shot hit a defender. Right on half time, Lee won a corner, Janney took the kick, Southon headed down, Cross tried a shot which Green saved, and SIMON PARKER followed up.

A quick walk around the ground at half time, and from the other side, the slope seemed to be sloping in the other direction, whilst the queue at the tea bar stretched almost all the way back to the A127.

The second half began with Southon winning the ball and slotting through to Janney, whose cross to Lee earned a corner, which Janney took, but Beale cleared. And then a surprise for the player who wasn’t there, Joel Ettienne-Clark, came on as substitute for the player who replaced him in the starting line up, whilst the home side then lost Keith Wilson who was injured following a corner and had to go off. Amos came on for Janney and found Lee, but the shot was weak and Green saved. Foyewa then turned a short pass back to Lee, whose shot was just over the bar. Two more changes and Tomlinson and Gasper came on for Fiddes and Lee. Great Wakering briefly threatened, Touhy being tackled by Tomlinson and Ettienne-Clark proving he was in fact there with a good run down the middle, where Tomlinson again got in a good tackle, through being forced to concede a corner. Pitts took the kick and McFarlane headed out. At the other end, Amos won a corner, and Tomlinson’s centre was headed away whilst Cole made a good run to dispossess Gasper, and his pass found Ettienne-Clark whose low shot was too close for comfort, the ball skimming the post. Glozier then made ground on the left, playing the ball back into the middle where Cole cleared for a corner, which Tomlinson took and Green did well to clutch the ball under heavy pressure. Gasper almost broke through but Gresham intercepted, whilst a Foyewa corner from the right was played too short and was cleared.

Parker then intercepted a pass and switched the ball to Gasper, who was tackled just as he was about to shoot. A Foyewa run gave Parker an opening, and his shot was touched out for a corner, which Tomlinson took, and Foyewa went close with a shot in the ensuing scramble. Dosser came on, but lacked support, and a good upfield pass by Fletcher to Cross saw Green make another good save. Then it was Tomlinson combining with Glozier, Green turning the centre out for a corner, which was then turned around the post for a corner on the other side, and this time Tomlinson played the ball short to Amos, whose low cross found Parker, and it was Green again to the rescue, for another corner, which Tomlinson had to cross the field to take. The final whistle went with Urchins very much in command, with a place in the play offs now looking a distinct possibility.
 

Video clips by Rob Monger
- 11mins. Kris Lee gives us an early lead
- 29mins. Neil Richmond equalises for the home side
- 39mins. Simon Parker restores our lead
- 45mins. Simon Parker puts us further in front

  Teams

Great Wakering Rovers Louis Green Danny Pitts Keith Wilson Nikki Beale Elliott Gresham James White Steve Butterworth John Simmons Martin Touhy Neil Richmond Mike Fenttiman SUBS Kevin Cole Iain O'Connell Joel Ettienne-Clark Tom Dosser -

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

AFC Hornchurch Dale Brightly Ron Fletcher Danny Glozier John Purdie (c) Jim McFarlane Alex Fiddes Garry Cross Mark Janney Kris Lee Simon Parker Jamie Southon SUBS Amos Foyewa Dave Sadler Ainsley Gasper Elliot Styles Andy Tomlinson

Man of the Match Nominated by ...

Weather Conditions:  6 degrees, wind speed 5mph

Match Officials: M Stewart with S Connor and D Cook

Match Duration: First half 45mins. Second half 47mins
 

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