Saturday 8th March 2008
HORNCHURCH  2  MAIDSTONE  0
HFC- Dale Brightly – Donny Barnard – Jim McFarlane – John Purdie © - Richard Goddard  – Elliot Styles – Frankie Curley – Mark Janney - Kris Lee – Simon Parker – Michael Brothers
Subs – Harry Elmes for Lee 72 - Des Boateng - Dean Green for Brothers 55 – Danny Glozier – Ross Wall

MU – Steve Northwood – Nathan Paul – Sam Tydeman – Ben Lewis © - Marc Clarey -  Ian Selley – Mark Saunders - Aaron Lacy – Mo Takalobighashi – Jacob Erskine - Nick Hegley
Subs – Craig Roser – Conor Hagan for Hegley 75 – Alex Tiesse for Takalobighashi 75 – Ray Freeman – Pat Mullin

Scorers – Dean Green 75 – Harry Elmes 78
Booking – Richard Goddard 77 (H)
Duration – 47.45 + 49.17
Officials – I Gosling with T Goddard and T King
Attendance 471
Weather – 9 degrees, cloudy, light rain during first half, wind speed 50 mph gust first half, reducing to 20 mph second half.

 

HORNCHURCH  2  MAIDSTONE  0
It was a much changed Maidstone side who came to the Bridge, accompanied by some of the best away support of the season. Maidstone also brought a record number of club officials down with them. The gale meant that whoever won the toss would have an enormous advantage, and of course it was Maidstone, who forced Urchins to kick towards the restaurant end into the teeth of a howling gale, just as the rain started. The club house was packed solid as hundreds forced their way inside to watch the Portsmouth v Manchester Utd match. With a crowd of 500 inside the ground, programmes had sold out fifteen minutes before the start.

The away following were very vocal at the start but then Mick and Mentalist arrived, and that put them in their place, as they cowered in terror on the north east terrace. A Janney cross found Kris Lee early on, and he touched back to Michael Brothers, whose centre was booted out for a corner by Paul. Brothers floated the ball over and Jim McFarlane rose like a salmon to head the ball into the side netting. But with an 80 mph gale in their backs, much of the first half saw Maidstone pressing forward. A long goal kick by Northwood saw McFarlane misjudge the bounce and head out for a corner, which was taken by Selley, and Goddard headed out for a corner on the other side of the pitch, which Selley trotted across to take and although Goddard cleared, the referee, making his Hornchurch debut, awarded a free kick. Up stepped free kick specialist Selley but the ball rebounded off the wall to safety. Free kicks were the order of the day, each one being accompanied by an ever longer blast of the whistle, so much so that it sounded like one continuous siren. It was a Purdie free kick which saw Parker go up with keeper Northwood, and although the ball bounced clear, the referee awarded a free kick against Simon, Elliot Styles won the ball in midfield and lobbed forward to Parker, who tried to lob the keeper with a header, but Northwood saved comfortably.

Maidstone, coming forward in numbers, went close when Saunders cracked a shot narrowly wide, whilst at the other end a build up involving Styles, Barnard and Lee ended when Styles cross went begging across the goalmouth. Back came Maidstone, Selley sending over an inswinging corner which Brightly did well to tip over the bar as the wind carried the ball goalwards, and Selley went across to the right to send a much harder corner goalwards, the ball streaking across goal untouched. A wild clearance was headed back by the tree behind the RiverSide of the ground, the local squirrel protesting vehemently that it had knocked his pile of nuts over, and this led to a quick throw to Curley, who slotted through to Parker, whose shot was well saved by Northwood, at the expense of a corner. With homing pigeons swarming in excitement above the ground, Janney sent the ball over, leaving the squirrel to pick up its nuts, Brothers headed back to Parker, who touched inside to Curley, who fired his shot inches wide. A Janney free kick saw McFarlane head inches wide, whilst a Selley free kick saw the ball rebound off the wall for a corner, which Selley took, and Barnard cleared. Purdie managed to put a free kick fully fifty yards into the gale and too close to Northwood, who gathered easily, whilst a Tydeman free kick drifted wide of  the post with Takalobighashi unable to reach the ball before it went out of play. Urchins powered forward in stoppage time, forcing the visitors back into a massed defence. It started when Janney crossed and Clarey put the ball out for a corner. Janney took the kick and McFarlane’s header brought a magnificent save out of Northwood, for another corner. Janney again, and Paul headed out, and this time it was Michael Brothers to took the corner, which went right across the face of the goal, with Lewis touching out for the fourth corner inside a minute, which Janney took, Tydeman cleared, and Maidstone took the ball over the half way line where the referee awarded a free kick, with a blast on his whistle that was so long that the squirrel dropped his nuts again. Tydeman took the wind assisted free kick, and the ball went out for a corner at the other end, which Selley took and Brightly cleared.

The Maidstone supporters swarmed into the club shop at half time and almost stripped it of souvenirs – can we play you every week please? Biased Bob commented on the strength of the gale, and it was generally agreed that to go in goalless was a marked advantage, with the gale at their backs in the second half. Only to find that the wind had reduced to a gentle breeze, comparatively speaking. The 50-50 prize of £100 was claimed by a well known Hornchurch supporter, to follow up on her win at Staines.

Urchins, kicking towards the windmill end, started well, Lee firing over, but Maidstone came back and a long throw from their long throw expert, Aaron Lacy, saw Barnard clear for a corner, which Selley took and Brightly punched away. It was now the turn of Michael Brothers send over a long throw, and the ball reached Simon Parker, who turned and cracked his shot wide. Disaster struck of Urchins went Brothers had to go off with a foot injury, when a long throw bombardment seemed otherwise inevitable, Dean Green coming on in midfield/ Styles sent a long ball into the middle, which Tydeman and Clarey hooked away. Lacy sent a long throw over to Erskine whose shot was charged down, but the ball came back to Takalobighashi whose first time shot went wide of the post. Successive free kicks, one by Purdie and one by Janney, were cleared as the referee began to play a whistle inspired symphony, whilst Parker took a good pass from Green, rounded keeper Northwood, was forced wide, and sent the ball back into the middle, where Lee just failed to get a touch as the ball ran across the goalmouth.

Yet another long throw by Lacy, and Styles headed away for a corner, which Tydeman took and Styles headed away again. The EastSide grew restless as the visitors appeared to drag out every possible second, and Maidstone almost paid for their time wasting when Styles gained possession and sent over a good pass for Janney, who played the ball inside to Parker, who just failed to get a touch. Styles high into the middle and another corner resulted, which Janney took and played a short pass to Barnard, whose centre was cleared by Paul.

A Purdie free kick saw Parker turn and hit a first time shot which Northwood did well to save, and a Styles throw was turned out for a corner. Janney swerved the ball over and McFarlane powered his header into the side netting. It was now a siege of Alamo proportions, and Harry Elmes came on to boost the attack. And a goal soon followed. Purdie took a free kick, the ball bounced around the goalmouth and was scrambled out for a corner. Janney sent the ball over low, and Selley did his best to send the ball into orbit, narrowly missing a passing goose. Janney took the second corner, the ball was headed back into the goalmouth where a delighted DEAN GREEN sent 450 Urchins into raptures with a magnificent shot.

Richard Goddard was wrongly booked for an innocuous tackle, the only booking of the match from a very lenient referee, whose hands were too cold to get his pen out, and from the free kick, taken inevitably by Selley, Barnard cleared. But the second goal was only seconds away as the ball was pumped up the field, Green played on to HARRY ELMES who hammered the ball home. Two nil, and Maidstone tried hard to reduce the arrears. A Saunders shot went out for a corner, which Tydeman took, McFarlane cleared, as far as Hagan, whose shot was saved by Brightly. Erskine fired a free kick just over the bar, but the match ended with Urchins once again attacking strongly Janney hitting a free kick into the wall, and Elmes combining with Parker to force Northwood into yet another save.

Man of the Match: Jim McFarlane Sponsored by: Grant Beglan

Match Sponsor: Haart / Spicer McColl

Weather Conditions: 9 Degs. C, Cloudy, Wind Speed = 50 mph (first half) reducing to 20 mph (second half)

Match Officials: Referee - Mr. Ian Gosling, Assistants - Mr. Tony Goddard and Mr. Tony King

Match duration: F/H 47 mins. 45 secs., S/H 49 mins. 17 secs.