HARROW BOROUGH 1 HORNCHURCH 2
The referee had an excellent game, and did not put a foot wrong. The linesman had a nice flag, which he liked to wave in the air. The pitch was the same for both sides. There was no blizzard, and the home side had two ex-Urchins in their line up. Debut for Michael Spencer who previously played for Thurrock before joining Fisher in December. Ludovic Quistin was recalled by Grays who were short of players for their trip to Barrow today. No one was signed from Weymouth.


Urchins took the field to a sea of red and white, and to a massive roar from a jumbo jet. The massed away support had mainly come by Sat Nav to the Harrowvian suburbs and every one seemed to have come by a different route, but they had all made by kick off, and Urchins kicked towards the club house end of the ground with the bright sunshine similar to last season. Urchins got off to a good start when Elliot Styles won the ball in midfield and touched the ball across to Michael Spencer, and on to Ross Wall on the left. Ross fired over a low cross which Hall diverted out for a corner. Andy Tomlinson took the kick, sent the ball high into the goalmouth, where it was cleared, but only as far as MICHAEL SPENCER who had moved across to the right, and Michael fired the ball hard and low past the defence and into the net, sending the massed red and white army into raptures, which quickly turned to howls of anger when the linesman oscillated his flag wildly. The twelve home supporters ululated in delight, and the referee walked slowly across towards the linesman, flag still erect. John Purdie raced over and urged the rest of the team to retreat, and a lengthy and animated discussion ensued between referee and linesman. The referee turned, looked towards the centre, and pointed. GOAL – but we all knew that anyway, apart from the linesman, who slowly lowered his flag.

Urchins pressed strongly. Ross Wall played an excellent pass through to Billy Coyne who cut in from the right, and Watts did well to cut the cross out to concede a corner. Tomlinson floated the ball over and Frankie Curley’s header was saved by Baptiste right on the line. With Urchins totally in command, they soon went further ahead. Mark Janney embarked on a long run down the right, and Watts did well to tackle to concede another corner. Tomlinson played the ball short to Janney, and took the return pass, and his centre was headed away by Jinadu. Mark Janney quickly played the ball on to Styles who touched through to ROSS WALL who carried on and netted with a low shot past the diving Baptiste.

It could have been three soon after when a long throw from Billy Coyne found Janney, who was thwarted by the joint efforts of Watts and McGonigle, to give away another corner. Tomlinson sent the ball high into the goalmouth where Mark Goodfellow and Baptiste went for the ball which spun high into the air, but the referee’s whistle went before anyone could react to touch the ball home. Harrow came right back into the picture, Darren Behcet having to hold a dangerous cross from the right. Goodfellow then cleared from Constant, McGonigle almost hit a passing jumbo jet with a wild shot, and Styles cleared a Constant shot off the line for a corner. Constant took the corner, Behcet punched away, and then saved well from Constant’s follow up shot.

A free kick was awarded against Tomlinson, about five yards outside the area. Constant lurked, but it was Hall who stepped up to fire the ball over the wall, and Behcet made a magnificent diving save to tip the ball over the bar. The corner appeared to be too long and the ball drifted across goal but DEWAYNE CLARKE rose up to nod home, sending the magnificent twelve home supporters into raptures. Hornchurch recovered their composure and finished the half strongly. A long throw by Billy Coyne found Dean Green, whose low cross cum shot was well saved by Baptiste, Green won a corner which Tomlinson sent over for Baptiste to rise up and catch under pressure, and when Michael Spencer won a free kick he hit the ball hard into the home defensive wall.

Despite many getting one of them, no one managed to identify the two ex-Urchins in the home line up. Unlike last season when the sunshine had turned into a raging blizzard, the sun was now setting behind the home goal as the teams came out for the second half. And if the first half was very much in Urchins’ favour, it was a transformed home team that came out. But after Behcet had dealt with a corner, Billy Coyne took another long throw and found Green, who ran powerfully through and was tackled by Jinadu. At the other end Harrow had an excellent chance when Baptiste’s long clearance found Noel racing clear and away from the defence, who were caught square. Behcet raced off his line and Noel hammered the ball over the bar, over the clubhouse, over the bar park, narrowly missing a flock of ring necked parakeet, before disappearing in the general direction of the old Wealdstone ground.

Dean Green went speeding through the middle and was scythed down by Leech, who escaped with a yellow card, and Harrow were let off when Tomlinson hit the free kick through the defensive wall by straight at Baptiste. Harrow were also awarded a free kick a very harsh hand ball decision against Frank Curley, and things looked bad for Hornchurch when Behcet made an excellent catch from Hall’s free kick but was injured in the process, and needed lengthy treatment before being able to resume. Hall then played Noel clear and Behcet left his line to make an excellent save, touching the shot around for a corner, and then Behcet rose well to hold the ball as it came over.

A Hall corner was overhit and Purdie cleared, and Noel again found space in the middle to speed through, and again Behcet made an excellent save. Urchins had a chance to make it safe when Spencer played through to Curley who ran clear, but was stopped on the edge of the area by a last ditch tackle by Jinadu, whilst a similar move sent Ross Wall away and this time it was Watts who tackled. A good run by Constant was stopped by a John Purdie interception, and when Green sent Curley away, Jinadu tackled, and a minute later Baptiste did well to hold Curley’s difficult centre as it swerved almost under the bar. Urchins were by now back in command. Mitchell Stuart-Evans came on to boost the defence, and Wall sent Curley through and he was tackled by Jinadu, and in the final minute Spencer almost found Sadler who was just beaten to the ball by Baptiste. A well earned three points, with Darren Behcet outstanding.

And who were the two ex-Urchins playing for Harrow? Danny Leech who had a few matches in 2003 and Tobi Jinadu who played one match in the Capital League in September 2008.