HORNCHURCH 1 WARE 0
Ware were so determined to beat the unbeaten Urchins that they fielded right of their regular first team squad, who are third in the Isthmian North and pushing strongly for promotion, and they also used four substitutes. Many of the record crowd for a Capital League match missed the start, as the match began fifteen minutes early – the first time ever that a match at the Bridge refereed by Dave Axcell has started ahead of time – and Urchins played towards the windmill end of the ground. Ware almost took a first minute lead, a hard volley by Stevens forcing Lee into an excellent save, and Urchins came back with shots by Wall and Richards, which were saved by Jones, and in a frantic session in front of goal, Richards, Oakley and Wall all had shots blocked on the line. Play swung from end to end until ROSS WALL scored the only goal of the match, racing through from Curley’s through pass and hammering the ball home.

The first half could have seen several more goals as Urchins piled on the pressure, whilst Ware looked very dangerous whenever they were able to break out of defence. Half time saw the club shop packed solid as everyone dived inside for the hot and cold teas, and for a free sauna bath, as the tea urn had not been turned down. Second half followed a similar pattern, with Urchins having the better of the play, but with Grant Lee in excellent form in goal, saving three magnificent shots from a rampant Ware forward line. Shane Oakley almost marked his return with a goal after a sixty yard run, but pulled up just as he got within shooting range, and was replaced by Lawrence Smith. A good cross from Jack Jones saw Wall again go close, and Michael Brothers and Boateng both forced good saves out of Jones. Urchins remain unbeaten with a one hundred percent record in the Capital League but Ware must rank as the best team so far who have visited the Bridge in this league.