FansFocus.Com Essex Senior Cup Final
Tuesday 27th March 2007
	Great Wakering Rovers	1 - 2	AFC Hornchurch
Richmond 54'		H/T 0-1 Att:1223	K Lee 36', S Parker 81'

Match Highlights

Great Wakering Rovers

AFC Hornchurch

	22	BOOKED - Southon
White - BOOKED	27
Gresham - OFF Cole - ON	32
Richmond - BOOKED	34
	36	GOAL - K Lee
Richmond - GOAL	54
	73	OFF - Southon ON - Tomlinson
	81	GOAL - S Parker
	85	OFF - K Lee ON - Sadler
	89	OFF - R Lee ON - Foyewa

Match Report by Tony Middleton
 

Hugh traffic jams into Southend, as hundreds of Urchins clogged up the A127. An estimated crowd of way over 2000, with at least one thousand from Hornchurch, and a very large following for Great Wakering, plus hundreds of neutrals, all here to watch the mighty Urchins. The match was sponsored by fanfocus, with our own Ian Walmsley proudly watching on as the masses poured into the ground. Urchins took the field to a thunderous roar, causing the flats behind the once mighty south bank to tremble, as more and more Urchins packed into the ground. Urchins played in their red cup final strip, in which they have never lost. Urchins kicked towards the pier end of the ground, and Wakering kicked off, the ball going to Dale Brightly who started the first attacking move, with a long kick up the field which saw Wilson desperately racing to beat Parker to the ball and play it back to keeper Green. Wilson was again in action with a long free kick which Brightly dealt with easily, and then Ryan Lee won a throw in which he took quickly, the ball being touched back to Ryan, whose cross went behind the goal. Wakering looked a far better team than their league position suggests, and a good pass from Pitts sent Butterworth away, with Purdie covering to play the ball back to Brightly. From Dale’s usual long clearance, Kris Lee almost beat Green, the play being halted by the referee’s whistle. Urchins were well on top and a Glozier centre was dropped by Green as Parker challenged, Gresham clearing. A Purdie free kick found McFarlane, his header going wide of the goal, and a cross from Ryan Lee saw Parker play the ball through to Kris lee, whose shot went across the face of the goal.

Ryan Lee, dominant in midfield, then turned quickly to play a shot sideways pass to Parker, whose run towards goal was crowded out, the eventual shot going narrowly wide of the post. Southon was wrongly booked for a tackle, and then a free kick was played short to Janney, whose run was halted by White’s tackle, the resultant booking appearing very harsh. Pitts overhit a free kick out of play, and Southon won a midfield ball to slot a pass on to Kris Lee, with Wilson tackling to concede a corner, which Janney put too short and Beale cleared. An excellent long pass from Cross out to Janney on the right opened up the defence, and from the cross, Parker’s shot was touched out for a corner which Ryan Lee played short to Janney, and his centre went behind the goal. Wakering came back strongly, Richmond placing the ball ahead of Butterworth whose hard shot was well held by Brightly. Glozier sent Ryan Lee away, the shot being saved, and then Richmond was booked for a foul on Ryan Lee, and from the free kick, taken by Ryan Lee, the ball was played deep into the goalmouth, and touched on for KRIS LEE to open the score, the roar being such that a tidal wave surged out into the Thames, leaving mudflats reaching out as far as the pier.

Wakering came back strongly, Wilson’s corner being headed away by Fletcher, and Brightly saving a hard drive from Butterworth, whilst a good through pass from Pitts saw Brightly save well at the feet of Butterworth. At the other end, Green dropped a free kick from Purdie, and the ball was eventually booted away in the ensuing scramble. Urchins almost made it two shortly before half time when Fletcher found Parker, and Simon played the ball wide to Janney, and thence in to Kris Lee, who was wrongly pulled up for offside.

Main talking point at half time was why on earth was the Essex showpiece not being played on a bank holiday or a Saturday date. With over one thousand Urchins in attendance, a record away following, just how many more could have turned out, had the match not been on a Tuesday night. Not to mention the hundreds who had turned out for Wakering, leaving the entire town a ghost town for the night. Wakering started the second half powerfully, with their best attempt of the night, a high cross from Cartlidge being headed on by Etienne-Clark and Purdie almost levelled the score with a crashing volley against his own cross bar. Wilson took the corner which resulted, and Fletcher headed back out for another corner, which Wilson again took, and Fletcher again cleared. Then it was Janney, making considerable ground before flicking on to Parker, and then to Cross, and so on to Ryan Lee whose shot went over the bar. McFarlane headed away from Wilson’s corner, and then Great Wakering sent their own following into ecstasy, when Wilson’s long cross from way out on the touchline saw NEIL RICHMOND power the ball home.

One one, and Urchins stepped up a gear. Cross missed with a good chance in front of goal, Kris Lee went close with a header from a Janney cross, and Ryan Lee won the ball on the left, and his run took him out to the right before he crossed to Parker, whose shot wide of the far post. A free kick eight on the edge of the area was completely wasted, with many screaming for a Glozier screamer which never came, and the ball was played back by Glozier deep into the goalmouth, where Green saved.

Wakering enjoyed a spell of supremacy, starting when McFarlane headed away from Cartlidge’s centre, the rebound being hit over the bar by Clark. Richmond to Butterworth and Purdie did well to tackle, whilst a Janney run almost gave Parker an opening, Cole covering well. Tomlinson sent Janney away, and the ball was played onwards to Parker , whose shot was turned out for a corner, which Janney took, and then had to take another as Cole played the ball back out, and then an atrocious mix up in defence when Green mis-fielded a poor back pass, and had to race out to the touchline to kick away, only for the ball to be played back into the goalmouth, where SIMON PARKER hammered home the winning goal, with one side of the ground a seething mass of red and white.

Fletcher headed away from a Wilson corner, and then Cross broke clear as the Wakering team found themselves too far upfield but his shot was wide. A Wilson free kick went out of play but a corner was given, and Wilson raced over to take the kick, but Fletcher cleared, and then Fletcher tackled Cartlidge to concede another corner, Wilson again taking the kick, this time finding McFarlane in the way. A Janney run almost created an opening for Dave Sadler, only just on the pitch for Kris Lee, whilst two runs by Foyewa left the defence in a tangle, but the ball stayed out of the goal. At the other end, a Wilson free kick saw a huge goalmouth scramble, in which Brightly was fouled and a free kick awarded. In the seventh minute of the four minutes added on for stoppages, the stoppage time being lengthened to allow Dave Sadler to receive treatment, Wilson saw his free kick headed out for a corner, and then his corner was headed away as the final whistle went, to send well over one thousand Urchins home happy, whilst the estimated 600 Wakering supporters may well have felt that they did not deserve to lose. And for the Essex FA, a crowd far in excess of what they could have anticipated, the main stand being packed to near capacity. And on the pitch, Ian Walmsley of fansfocus proudly presented the medals and the cup, to a standing ovation from the massed red and white army, packing out the stand.

Video clips by Rob Monger
- 36mins. Kris Lee draws first blood
- 54mins. Wakering's Neil Richmond equalises
- 81mins. Simon Parker scores the winning goal
Captain John Purdie lifts the trophy
Post match interview with manager Colin McBride

  Teams

Great Wakering Rovers Louis Green Dan Petts Keith Wilson (c) Nikki Beale Elliott Gresham James White Steve Butterworth Sam Clarke Joel Etienne Clark Neil Richmond Mark Cartlidge SUBS Ian O'Connell Kevin Cole Tom Dosser Mark Fenntiman Dave Hudson

- 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 Ryan Lee Garry Cross Mark Janney Kris Lee Simon Parker Jamie Southon SUBS Dave Sadler Amos Foyewa Ainsley Gasper Elliot Styles Andy Tomlinson

Man of the Match Nominated by ...

Weather Conditions:  11 degrees at start, 7 degrees at finish. Wind speed 2mph, clear.

Match Officials: Simon Beck with Keith Yeo, Adrian Oldershaw and Nick Kinseley
 

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