Report

Hornchurch continued their unbeaten start to the league as a brace from George Purcell ensured it was the Urchins who returned home with all 3 points.

Saturday 21-October-2017
S0HAM TOWN RANGERS 1 HORNCHURCH 2

ST -Pope, Russell, Buddle (Gardner27), Norman, Chaffey, Endacott ©, Cohen, Clayton, Gillies, Bennett (Hobbs 74), Carden
Subs – Bankole, Conway

HFC – Mott, Hursit, Porter, Lee ©, Cooper, Roberts, Fairweather-Johnson, Chouman, Wall (McKenzie 90+1), Purcell, Fanimo (Styles 59)
Subs – Kamara, Tuohy, Hussain

Officials – Matthew Morrison with Chris Darling and Ian Pascoe

Scorers – Purcell 36 (H) – Chaffey 47 (ST) – Purcell 60
Booking – Clayton 66 (ST)
Attendance 156
Duration 47.00 + 49.00

ST – green & white stripes / green / green
H – all yellow

S0HAM TOWN RANGERS 1 HORNCHURCH 2

Hornchurch, without Tobi Joseph, Brad Warner and Alex Bentley, dominated the first half, but had just one goal to show from their overall superiority.

It was a quiet start to the match, with both teams having difficulty in adapting to the strong wind, and it was twenty minutes before either team managed a shot on goal, which came when George Purcell played the ball out to an overlapping Jay Porter on the left wing. Porter sent the ball over into the middle, where Ross Wall powered his header against the bar.

Wall, a persistent threat to the home defence, went close shortly afterwards when he ran on to a Purcell centre, with Josh Pope in the home goal saving well.

A Matthias Fanimo run into the middle from the right wing ended with Fanimo being dumped on the ground. Purcell took the free kick, but placed his shot wide of the target.

On 30 minutes a Jed Chouman free kick found Purcell moving in from the left, but his hard drive was wide of the goal.

Soham then lost Dan Buddle, who was replaced by Will Gardner, as Hornchurch continued to press, giving the home side very few opportunities to break out of defence.

It was no surprise when Hornchurch took the lead on 36 minutes. George Purcell ran on to a long ball upfield, held off a challenge from a defender, and sent his shot low past Pope and into the net.

Pope was back in action just minutes later, making an excellent save from Purcell, after Wall had set the shot up.

We had to wait until the half was about to enter stoppage time before the home side made any threat, and it came from ex-Urchin Gary Cohen, who raced forward and sent in a hard shot that Sam Mott tipped over the bar. This led to two corners in succession, neither of which offered any threat.

Soham had offered little in the first half, other than some long throws from Callum Russell, none of which came to anything, but this changed just two minutes into the second half, played in an ever-increasing gale force wind. Russell hurled a throw towards the far post and Lee Chaffey headed the equaliser.

On 58 minutes Hornchurch won a free kick just outside the area, but before it could be taken, manager Jim McFarlane sent on Elliot Styles, to replace Fanimo who was limping from an injury picked up a couple of minutes earlier. George Purcell took the free kick, and although Pope got a hand to the shot he could not prevent it from going into the net.

On 79 minutes a quick free kick by Purcell sent Wall away on the left, and he crossed to Kenzer Lee, who directed his first time shot a fraction too high and over.

On 80 minutes Wall ran on to a long Mott clearance and raced down the left wing, and pulled the ball back to Purcell, but his shot was too high and went over the bar.

Soham had a rare opportunity when Cohen moved into a shooting position, but Mott was ready and waiting for the shot.

Hornchurch had little difficulty in defending the few Soham attacks, with the main threat invariably coming from Russell’s long throws into a crowded penalty area.

Leon McKenzie replaced Ross Wall during stoppage time, and there was a final scare with almost the last kick of the match when Soham won a corner, but it was comfortably cleared upfield as the full time whistle went.