GREAT WAKERING 1 HORNCHURCH 3
This was it – cup time once again, with a trip to the land of the cockle shells, where they once proudly boasted of one of the largest cockle industries in the country. In fact, when Rovers were in the Olympian League, the ground was paved with cockle shells, which made a nice crunching noise was you walked over them. But today, it is concreted over, and the ground has a neat and tidy appearance, the old footpath which once went through the middle of the pitch now being diverted outside the perimeter wall.

Only £3.50 to get in, which included a free programme. The programme was interesting, as on page one, it said ‘the result of the Peterborough match was not known when this edition went to the printers’, whilst on page two they had a report of the Peterborough, which ended with ‘well done Urchin lion hearts, you are all heroes’ – a nice touch from a very friendly and well run club.

The paying attendance was only 95, but there were considerably more inside the ground, easily explained as they do not make any charge for juniors.

Urchins, with a surprisingly large following, surprising because it was a nightmare journey down to Great Wakering, completely dominated the first half, A Lee Hodges free kick forced ex-Urchin Richard McKinney into a good save in the first minute, and when Ross Wall and Hodges combined a minute later, Kris Lee powered his header inches wide. A long throw from Billy Coyne was played out for a corner by Khory-Davinson, and Hodges took the kick, forcing Cole into conceding a second corner. Hodges again, and Lee’s shot was blocked, whilst Elliot Styles followed up with a shot which hit the post. It was then Hodges turn, to try a solo sortie, but his shot cannoned out off of Jackson. In a rare breakaway, a Pitts free kick sailed over the bar and out of the ground. It was then Kris Lee who went racing away on the left side, before sending the ball over to Ross Wall, who glanced his header inches wide. Frank Curley twice in a matter of seconds had shots saved, and a magnificent run by Mark Janney saw an inch perfect cross, which found Kris Lee, whose shot was cleared off the line. Andy Tomlinson got into the act, taking a pass from Paul Shave and running through, to hit his shot narrowly over the bar, and narrowly wide of the tea bar. Paul Shave then broke through the middle and slotted the ball out to Janney, whose centre was turned over the bar by McKinney, with Hodges taking the corner and Beale clearing.

The goal was long overdue, and it came with Urchins’ thirteenth shot of the half, when a long up field kick by Dale Brightly found ROSS WALL, thanks to a defensive error, and Ross calmly slotted the ball home, to the delight of the many Urchins behind the goal. Kris Lee nearly made it two with a solo run and shot, and both Paul Shaves and Frank Curley went close, whilst a Coyne throw went for a corner, which Hodges once again took, and this time it was McKinney who saved. Yet another Hodges corner, and McKinney punched the ball out for a corner on the other side of the pitch, which Mark Janney took , and Ross Wall hammered in the seventeenth shot of the half, McKinney saving well at the cost of yet another corner.

Could Urchins turn their territorial advantage into goals, or would their cup dreams go up in smoke? It certainly looked as though they would, as clouds of smoke rose up from one of the generators at the side of the ground, but they had disappeared by the start of the second half.

Rovers briefly threatened at the start of the second half, when Luke Williams tried a hopeful free kick from the half way line, which Dale saved comfortably, and then it was back to the pattern of the first half, Janney touching out to Curley and Frank’s centre being played out by Pitts, for another Hodges corner, which this time was headed inches wide by Paul Shave, signed earlier in the week from Billericay, having previously played for Basildon, Burnham Ramblers, and Maldon Town.

A Hodges centre went out to the other side of the pitch, where Janney promptly returned it into the goalmouth, and Kris Lee headed narrowly wide, Rovers brought on Jack O’Connor but before they had time to decide who was going to play where, the ball was played on to Kris Lee and thence to ROSS WALL, who ran on and scored with a well place shot wide of McKinney. It could easily have been three, for Janney’s run at goal was stopped by a trip, though no card was waved, and Lee Hodges hit the free kick over the bar. At the other end, the Rovers’ supporters – both of them - went wild with delight when they thought they had been awarded a penalty, and had the ball been ten yards closer to the penalty area, it could well have been a penalty. The free kick was well taken and Brightly made an excellent save, but the corner was played low into the goalmouth and STUART JUDD sent the home crowd wild with delight when he touched the ball home.

The home crowd were now firmly behind the Urchins goal – they were both queuing up at the tea bar – but Hornchurch stormed up field and Coyne made an excellent run down the right, to send Janney clear, and Mark’s ground shot was well saved by McKinney. Rovers rallied, and won another corner, which Jim McFarlane, playing his first full match of the season, dealt with, and any thoughts of a come back were quickly over when Kris Lee sent Hodges through, and down he went, and the referee promptly pointed to the spot. Up stepped MARK JANNEY to score from the penalty.

Rovers came back yet again, and won another corner, Brightly saving well from O’Connor, but McFarlane again headed away. Donny Barnard and Dean Green came on, Donny playing mid field and Dean up front, and Dean was quickly called into action, when Coyne sent Wall away, and Ross then turned the ball out to Janney, whose crossed was hit inches wide by Dean Green. Janney then tried to set up Billy Coyne for his first goal for the Urchins, and Billy’s well directed shot beat the diving McKinney only to curl wide of the post. Mitchell Stuart-Evans came on for his debut, and he made one very good headed clearance plus two well timed tackles in defence in the ten minutes he was on the pitch, neatly fitting into defence. Donny Barnard set Ross Wall up, but the shot was well saved by McKinney, and Dale Brightly dealt with another corner at the other end. Dean Green twice went close and Billy Coyne almost scored with a fine shot which McKinney touched around the post, the final whistle going as Mark Janney’s corner came over.

Urchins are now at home to either Harlow or Billericay, who will play next Tuesday as their match was called off last night due to a waterlogged pitch.

And final shot count was Urchins 29, Rovers 6. (BBC please note, and please get your stats right next time). And the big question which all Urchins are asking – why was Dean Green wearing white boots/ Where are his normal orange ones?