x

H/T 0 - 4 Att.: 116

Waltham Abbey

AFC Hornchurch

WALTHAM ABBEY 0 HORNCHURCH 5

Player news – Sam Berry and Joe Stevens have been released, Kris Lee is on loan to Brentwood.
And a sensational new signing will be announced shortly.

Drizzle, rain, gale, no wonder so few home supporters turned out. And to make it worst, Abbey kicked down the steep slope and with the gale at their backs in the first half. Mentalist searched in vain for the local otters, but was compensated in part by a nice goldcrest.

Urchins could have taken a first minute lead when Webb missed his kick and Jo Flack raced clear on the right, and his low cross was turned around the post. Jonathan Hunt took the corner, Elliot Styles headed on, and Reece Prestedge saw his first time volley blocked. Hunt again, on the right, back to Billy Coyne, and along the ground to Jo Flack, who won another corner. Hunt the taker but it was flighted too low. Abbey broke upfield for the first time and Bailey’s excellent cross was turned out by Michael Spencer for a corner. Webb floated the ball over, Edwards headed on, and the ball went narrowly wide, though the whistle had already gone for an infringement.

Urchins took the lead when WAYNE GRAY raced away on a long solo run which he finished off with a fine drive past Joe Taylor. Abbey came back strongly and a White throw reached Zanone who sidefooted across to Bailey, and although his shot was deflected, Darren Behcet made an excellent save. A free kick by Edwards was headed over by Billy Holland, and back at the other end, Wayne Gray played Andy Tomlinson though, but Andy’s shot curved wide of the post. Jo Flack took a pass from Paul Shave and made a penetrating run before seemingly being brought down but play was allowed to continue and the ball went out for a corner. Hunt’s inswinging kick was punched away by Taylor. Jo Flack then decided to go it alone, and Joe Taylor made a magnificent save to keep the goal bound shot out of the net.. Hunt then flighted a perfect pass to Jo Flack, who homed in on goal. With Andy Tomlinson possibly better placed for a pass, Jo hit in a vicious curling shot which Taylor saved at full stretch.

But Jo Flack was proving to be unstoppable, or at least legally unstoppable, and his next run was halted by Danny Webb, and the linesman immediately signalled for a penalty. After Webb, for the tackle, and Lee White, for the ensuing discussion with the officials, were yellow carded, JONATHAN HUNT calmly stepped up to fire home the penalty. Reece Prestedge then hooked away a Webb corner, but Urchins were beginning to get into the Abbey habit, and the third goal soon followed, when home keeper Taylor came out to field a harmless looking long ball, but WAYNE GRAY calmly dispossessed him of the ball, and equally calmly walked it casually into the net.

Prestedge went close with a header from Tomlinson’s long throw, whilst Webb then sent another corner a fraction too far across goal, before, just as the announcer gloomily announced that there was to be three minutes stoppage time, Reece Prestedge picked out JO FLACK who ran on and hammered the ball home. There was still time for Andy Tomlinson to float a corner kick invitingly across goal, and Urchins went in four up and looking good.

Second half, the wind decreased, and the tide went out in the nearby river, which meant that the slope subsided and Urchins were playing down a much decreased slope. Not that it made a great deal of difference. Flack to Hunt, and a good tackle by Webb prevented another goal. Hunt sent over the corner kick and White cleared. Tomlinson almost fed a great through pass to Wayne Gray but Taylor got there first. And then came a brief Abbey rally. Darren Behcet made a good save from Billy Holland, and when Styles pushed Holland, Elmes sent in a good free kick to Cooper, who fired wide. Another Elmes free kick rebounded off the defensive wall, and then Mark Janney came on for Jonathan Hunt. But first Darren Behcet had to deal with an Elmes corner.

At the other end a Tomlinson corner was just a fraction too high for Paul Shave to reach and Taylor grabbed the ball as Styles moved in. Behcet then saved well from Elmes – it is James Elmes, and not Harry Elmes who was playing today, and Darren promptly pumped the ball deep upfield, when Wayne Gray turned it across goal, and Taylor just got to it as Jo Flack moved in. A Tomlinson free kick went for a corner, but before it could be taken Ben Boyce came on for Jo Flack. Janney took the corner and Billy Coyne headed just over the bar. Shave to Janney, on to Ben Boyce and White did well to intercept the cross. Mark Goodfellow saw his long kick go across goal, with no one able to get to the ball as it drifted invitingly across, and Duane Jackman came on for Wayne Gray. Duane was quickly in action, finding Boyce, and on to Janney, and back to Boyce, with Taylor just getting there first.

An Elmes free kick went for a corner, via Goodfellow, but Webb played the ball short to Cooper, who could not get in a centre as Michael Spencer intercepted. The fifth goal came when a long upfield ball was chased by BEN BOYCE who neatly slotted it wide of Taylor. Ben Boyce nearly added another when Shave nodded on from Tomlinson’s cross.

At the end, Urchins went through their usual warm down procedures whilst the home side all sat forlornly on the wet ground, no doubt wondering how they had only conceded five in the face of a rampant Urchins side.

Waltham Abbey

AFC Hornchurch