AFC Hornchurch

1 - 0

Chelmsford City

Kris Lee 74

H/T 0 - 0 Att.: 806

AFC Hornchurch

Chelmsford City

Saturday 1st September 2007
HORNCHURCH  1    CHELMSFORD CITY    0
HFC – Dale Brightly – Jordon Bostock – Danny Glozier – Elliot Styles - Richard Goddard – Joe Keith – Garry Cross – Mark Janney – Kris Lee – Richard Halle – David Lee
Subs – Harry Elmes – Shane Oakley – Amos Foyewa for Halle at HT – Andy Tomlinson for Keith 67 – Michael Brothers for David Lee 83

CC –  Danny Gay - Lee Protheroe - Stuart Ainsley - Andy Duncan -Aidan Collins - Dean Palmer - Mario Noto – Jeff Minton © - Kozie Ibe - Bertie Brayley - Ricky Holmes
Subs - Chris Duffy - Jon Keeling for Noto 67 – Ben Sedgemore - Steve Ward - Ashley Harrison (GK)

Scorer – KRIS LEE 74
Bookings – Janney 22 (H) – Foyewa 86 (H)
Attendance 806
Duration 47.08 + 51.03
Weather – sunny – 20 degrees
Officials – J Lodge with C Pearse and S Connor

HORNCHURCH  1    CHELMSFORD CITY    0

A very confident City team arrived at Bridge Avenue, unbeaten and hot favourites for the league, but surprisingly they brought only a handful of supporters down with them. With Jim McFarlane, Simon Parker, Jamie Southon all out, Urchins were further hit when John Purdie could not play, due to his injury at Heybridge on Monday, and Garry Cross took over a captain, with Elliot Styles coming into the defence, whist Richard Halle came in for Harry Elmes. It was a strange looking line up on the field, with only Kris Lee playing up front, and the Clarets, playing in white, looked confident as they surged forward from the start, forcing three corners in the first minute of play. Dale Brightly made the save of the match from the first of these, diving to tip a goalbound header around the post, whilst Danny Glozier did well to clear the other two. Bert Brayley sent Kezie Ibe away down the middle, and Gary Cross tackled back well to save a dangerous situation. Urchins relied heavily on long high balls for the lone Kris Lee to chase, the best move coming when Joe Keith switched play to Glozier, whose high centre saw Gay save well from Kris Lee. Hordan Bostock then tackled Holmes and played a long ball up to Mark Janney, whose hard cross was headed out for a corner by Stuart Ainsley, with Gay taking Keith’s swerving corner as Richard Goddard moved in on goal.

Ricky Holmes earned the applause of the East Side with a spectacular air kick, but he almost made amends when he was sent clear on the left and he cut inside to hammer in a hard shot which Brightly saved at full stretch. Bostock played another good pass up to Janney, and Gay rushed out of his area to kick the ball into oblivion, the ball last being seen heading towards the clouds above Bridge Avenue. For all their tricky and impressive midfield play, City were getting nowhere fast, though the referee annoyed the East Side with a series of free kicks against Urchins. From one of these, taken by Ainsley, Glozier played the ball up to Kris Lee, who made a neat overhead kick to send Cross clear. Gay rushed out of goal again and kicked wildly away, the ball falling to David Lee, who promptly hammered it back towards the unguarded goal, only for the ball to skim the cross bar.

Bostock turned a dangerous cross from Noto away and then tackled well as Holmes tried to weave through, conceding a corner, which  Protheroe took, and Goddard headed out for another corner, which Andy Duncan headed wide, having come up unmarked into the goalmouth. Brightly was a shade fortunate when he failed to hold Ibe’s hard drive, and he just managed to grab the ball as Ibe homed in. A corner, City’s sixth, from Holmes, was cleared upfield by Halle to Cross, who was stopped by an excellent tackle by Palmer, and then a rapid run by Holmes ended with an equally good tackle by Keith, only for the referee to award a free kick. Noto popped up on the right and his centre almost found Collins, with Styles’ tackling just as Collins was about to shoot. Janney found space and played through to Kris Lee who headed on to Cross, whose shot was saved by a diving Gay, and a centre by Janney was headed away by Collins. A David Lee corner found Goddard in the goalmouth, his header being well saved by Gay. Another City corner, which should have been a goal kick, was cleared by Goddard, and a run by Noto saw him open up the left side with a pass to Holmes, whose shot was saved by Brightly.

Half time, and a massed start towards the food in the tea bars, whilst the club shop also ran out of hot food – pies, sausage rolls, fresh from Harrods, and a new tea urn to boot. Demand for the new home strip was high, and fresh stocks are due shortly. Max gave away the £100 fifty fifty prize to one happy Urchin, but main talking point was where were the huge army of away supporters? They certainly did not arrive at Bridge Avenue, to the disgust of the East Side who have not had any serious challenge to their support now since Hullbridge came visiting.

On with the second half, and it was a change of tactics for the Urchins, Amos Foyewa coming on to give two forwards up front, to take some of the pressure off of Kris Lee. But it was City who again forced the pace, Protheroe’s free kick being headed onto the bar, with Brighly just getting a touch, and it was Brightly again, dropping onto a goal bound swerving corner. Brayley to Duncan, whose shot went over the bar, and then Urchins turned it all around, with Amos sending Kris Lee away on the right and then just being beaten to the cross by the alert Gay. Amos nearly broke through but the referee pulled play back and awarded Amos a free kick for Noto’s tackle, and Keith played the ball in too close to goal. A long clearance from Dale Brightly found Janney who sent Amos away and Palmer did well to intercept, whilst Gay was almost caught in possession by Foyewa who slid in from nowhere. Kris Lee to Foyewa and Protheroe conceded a corner, which was cleared by Palmer. Collins conceded another corner as Urchins mounted waves of attacks, and Keith played the ball short to David Lee, whose centre was headed narrowly wide by Kris Lee.

Ainsley curled a free kick, wrongly awarded, when it appeared that a City player and not Andy Tomlinson had handled, over the bar, whilst a good run by Cross ended with a low centre which saw Duncan clear from Kris Lee. Jon Keeling came on and got little change out of Danny Glozier, although one good cross saw the ball deflected out for a corner, which Duncan headed over. Keeling then missed a good opportunity when he hit a cross wide of the post when well placed, and then Foyewa set off upfield, Gay rushing out but miskicking, only as far as Kris Lee, whose first time shot was wide of the goal.

With time running out, and with excitement reaching fever pitch, and with City supporters wondering if they could stand the pressure, Amos Foyewa won the ball, and played it out to Mark Janney, who weaved in and centred, for KRIS LEE to head home. Pandemonium, fans in the seats jumped up as one, scarves whirled, hats sailed into the air, the collective East Side voice reverberated around the ground, and a Riversider, overcome with relief, applauded politely. Even Colin almost smiled.. Loud and clear over the tannoy, came Max – ‘And the first goal, by the Urhchins, tucked away by Super Duper Kris Lee’. City supporters began to file out of the ground.

Amos again, to Kris Lee, to Janney, back to Amos, who just failed to screw the ball back across goal. Back came City, everyone going up for a Holmes free kick, but Brightly dropped on the ball, and a Palmer run saw a good centre which Goddard headed away for a corner. From the scramble which ensured, Brightly held the ball on the line, and needed lengthy attention before continuing. Kris Lee broke on the left but hit his shot too high, and Gay saved well from Janney. The referee signalled three minutes of stoppages, and seven minutes later, it was all over – the East Side thundered their applause, the underdogs from Essex had won.

AFC Hornchurc

Chelmsford City