Tuesday 8th January – league cup
HORNCHURCH  1  RAMSGATE  2

HFC – Dale Brightley – Donny Barnard – Danny Glozier – John Purdie © - Jim McFarlane  – Elliot Styles - Joe Keith - Richard Goddard – Kris Lee – Simon Parker – Andy Tomlinson
Subs – Ross Wall – Amos Foyewa for Goddard 70 – Shane Oakley for Lee 57 – Mark Janney – Richard Halle for Goddard 74

RFC – Paul Wilkerson – Andy Hadden – Dean Hill © - Nick Divis – Ollie Schulz – Ben Laslett – Stuart Vahid – Ryan Hirooka – Lee Minshull – Steffan Ball – Michael Phillips
Subs – Dan Dolton for Hirooka 66 – Dan Wisker – Dan Tanner – Will Graham for Ball 89 – Shaun Alliston

Scorers – Minshull 57 (R) – Keith 76p (H) – Dalton 87 (R)
Attendance 216
Officials M Thompson with D Czyzewicz and I Hogg
Weather – 8 degrees, cloudy, wind speed 15 mph at start, rising to 30 mph in second half
Duration 45.53 + 47.01

HORNCHURCH  1  RAMSGATE  2
Drama an hour before the start when there was no lighting in the tea bar – would the match be called off? – No, all was resolved when someone put the plug in. the heavy rain during the day meant that the pitch was very soft and Urchins took the field in all red for the first time since the Essex Senior Cup final. A slow start for both teams, with Urchins kicking with the slight wind in their favour towards the windmill end of the ground. The first dangerous looking move came when Tomlinson played a long ball out to Simon Parker, whose run was halted by Hadden, whose tackle conceded a corner which keeper Wilkerson held. Barnard, looking very confident at right back, sent Lee away down the middle, but he was forced wide by Davis and was not able to get his shot in. Ramsgate rarely threatened though they were awarded a free kick when Styles was booked for what the referee considered to be an illegal tackle on Hill, who took the free kick but put the ball a long way wide of the goal.

Glozier, back in the starting line up, fed a long pass up to Lee, who headed on to Parker, whose shot dipped just over the bar, and it was Parker again, this time receiving from Lee who had been sent away by Glozier, whose lobbed shot went inches over the bar. Parker dropped back into midfield where he produced an excellent pass up to Lee, who ran on and turned the ball back to Parker, now out on the left wing, but his run towards goal was stopped by Davis who had come across to cover. Phillips conceded a free kick, and Tomlinson floated the ball over with Laslett giving away a corner, which Tomlinson took and Wilkerson held under pressure from Goddard.

Parker and Lee again combined, with Schulz doing well to break up a promising move down the middle, and a Keith run allowed Lee to move into space and he sent in a first time shot which just skimmed past the far post. Shortly before half time a Barnard centre found Lee, whose header was well saved by Wilkerson.

Half time and the shop quickly ran out of 3 amp fuses, whilst Minty and Trigger did their double act. Matt made a great deal with one supporter, selling him a pair of the new club socks for £2 – pity he did not ask the price first. Minty wanted to know if the pies were chicken or meat, before settling for one of the Harrods steak pies. Max gave away the £65 jackpot, to an unknown supporter – unknown because Max had forgotten who it was.

Second half and the wind increased substantially, with Urchins kicking valiantly against a force eight gale. But it was a long upfield kick by Brightley which almost set up Simon Parker, who weaved his way through before seeing his shot blocked by the last defender. Ramsgate’s first threatening move of the match came when Hill took a quick free kick, then took the return pass only to slice his shot well wide of the goal. Purdie, upfield to Glozier, and Danny homed in on goal and hammered in a hard shot which Wilkerson parried out, as far as Kris Lee whose return shot was again saved by Wilkerson, who pumped the ball up field and out to the left wing, where the resulting high centre was headed goalwards by LEE MINSHULL, and Dale Brightley saved well – only for the linesman to flag for a goal, to the amazement of the crowd and the delight of the handful of away directors. They should bring in goalline technology, instead of relying on a shivering linesman trying to keep his arm warm.

Shane Oakley came on, and his speed was immediately a source of worry to the visitors, when he raced on to a long Brightley kick and burst through towards goal, only to be rugby tackled and hacked down, the referee deciding that this type of tackle was perfectly legal, and merely awarded a corner, which Tomlinson took and Wilkerson held. McFarlane moved up for a free kick, but it was Goddard to got to Purdie’s kick, heading powerfully goalwards, where Wilkerson saved well, whilst a Tomlinson pass to Glozier saw Danny’s centre swerve too close to the keeper.

A goal looked likely when Glozier sent Oakley away, with Shane winning a corner. The ball was played into the middle, and Parker and keeper Wilkerson went up for the ball, and another corner resulted. Keith sent the ball over, and McFarlane rose well, but the linesman had seen a blatant push, and immediately signalled for a penalty, which the referee, after being submerged by the entire Ramsgate team, duly awarded, though he failed to book any of the petulant visitors. JOE KEITH calmly waited for the furore to abate and then neatly slotted the ball home.

It was now a different looking Hornchurch attacking force, and when Oakley broke through once again, he was again hacked down, this time by Davis, and once again the referee decided to take no action, but Oakley recovered possession and squared the ball to Parker, who was caught out by the very bad bounce of the ball and could not force the ball across the line. Ramsgate broke away and Brightley saved at the feet of Phillips, whilst at the other end Lee won a corner and from Tomlinson’s kick, McFarlane saw his header rebound off the bar. Another Oakley run, from Halle’s pass, saw Shane cross the ball to Foyewa, whose hard shot was parried by Wilkerson, and Amos followed up only for the keeper to save again. Ramsgate, with the gale at their backs, made a rare sortie upfield, and a corner was tipped over for a second corner, and then again for another corner, which was swerved in by the wind and DAN DOLTON headed home.

Urchins came back strongly, and Foyewa received from Halle, then on to Tomlinson and on again to Parker, whose shot was bundled off the line for a corner, which in turn was also cleared off the line as the final whistle went.

Weather Conditions: TBA

Match Officials: Referee - Mr. Marvin Thompson, Assistants - Mr. Dave Czyzewicz and Mr. Ian Hogg

Match duration: F/H 45 mins. 53 secs., S/H 47 mins. 01 secs.