A goal in the last minute from George Purcell earned the Urchins the 3 points in what was an even game throughout. Connor Hogan had put the Urchins ahead in the first half before Garrett Kelly equalised for the Millers.
Friday 20-April-2018
HORNCHURCH 2 AVELEY 1
HFC – Mott, Hursit, Bentley, Lee (Chouman 90+3), Cooper, Styles ©, Hogan, Livings (Oluwatimilehin 80), Fairweather-Johnson, Purcell, Warner (McKenzie 73)
Subs – Roberts, Collis
AFC – Madden, Malton, Sampayo, Witherspoon, Stephenson, Cosson, Kelly, Doyle (Radford 84), Richardson, Walker, Bourne (Teniola 54)
Subs – Southgate, Martin, Dicks
Officials – Karl Sear with Jamie Garwood and Stacey Ford
Scorers – Hogan 11 (A) – Kelly 71 (A) – Purcell 90+1 (H)
Bookings – Stephenson 57 (A) – Kelly 71 (A) – McKenzie 79 (H)
Attendance 328
Duration 46.00 + 50.00
HORNCHURCH 2 AVELEY 1
In the last home match of the season, Connor Hogan’s eleventh minute goal gave Hornchurch an early lead, and after Aveley drew level twenty minutes from time, a draw seemed inevitable until George Purcell scored in stoppage time, to take the Hornchurch points total to over one hundred for the season.
After a Purcell shot that was blocked on five minutes and a Jamie Hursit cross that went across the goal without anyone being able to get a touch. Hornchurch went ahead on eleven minutes when Connor Hogan headed a Purcell corner from the left home at the near post.
Aveley rarely threatened, apart from a corner that did not trouble the defence, and their best chance came on twenty minutes when Sam Mott had to race out of his area to kick clear from Tom Richardson.
A Brad Warner free kick came to nothing, and a Warner corner was similarly cleared, and it was Warner again who tried a solo run across the field and then towards goal, only to be crowded out.
Richardson went close for Aveley with a long range shot that took a deflection for a corner, and at the other end Purcell made a good run, but was tackled by Alex Stephenson. Purcell opened up the defence with a fine pass to Warner, but he was unable to control the bounce of the ball, and the chance was lost.
Hornchurch went close to increasing their lead two minutes into the second half, when Purcell took a free kick ten yards outside the area, only for Rhys Madden to make an excellent save, and when Warner was fouled in a similar position, Purcell’s hard free kick cannoned back off the defensive wall.
On the hour Warner just failed to get onto the end of a Theo Fairweather-Johnson cross, and when Garrett Kelly was shown a yellow card for a foul, the resultant free kick went begging across the face of the goal.
Fairweather-Johnson headed over from a Bentley centre, before Aveley drew level when the ball was played towards the far post from the right and Garrett Kelly headed home from close range.
Hornchurch pressed forward, and both Purcell and Fairweather-Johnson went close, and an Olu Oluwatimilehin shot beat the defence but went wide of the goal.
A solo run by Purcell ended with his shot going wide, and as the match went into stoppage time Fairweather-Johnson gained possession and slipped the ball inside to George Purcell, who screwed his shot past Madden and into the net for the winning goal.
In the third minute of stoppage time Kenzer Lee was replaced by Jed Chouman, making his first appearance in four months, and Hornchurch had little difficulty in playing out the remaining time to take their points total to 101 for the season.
Report by Tony Middleton.
