HORNCHURCH 2 WITHAM TOWN 0
It was a surprise to many who attended tonight to find that it was Witham and not Waltham Forest, as advertised in the local paper. This was due to Forest being removed from the competition, having played ineligible players in the previous match. So what would have happened had this match taken place two weeks ago, as scheduled, and prior to the removal of Waltham Forest? Dean Green and Andy Tomlinson back after injury, and a return to the Bridge for two Witham players. Rhys Madden and Greg Tiffin, the latter signed a few days before from Concord.

Urchins kicked towards the windmill end of the ground, and took an early lead, when, after five minutes, Kris Lee received the ball on the right, took his time to draw two defenders before crossing low into the goalmouth where ROSS WALL slotted home his tenth goal of the season. A good start, and everyone sat back and waited for the anticipated hatful of goals. And they never came, as the visitors surged forward, urged on by their supporter. Ricky Modeste raced away on the left, leaving his long hair trailing behind him, and it took an excellent tackle from Frankie Curley to prevent a possible equaliser. The ball was promptly returned and Modeste won a free kick, which Lowes played deep into the goalmouth and Mark Goodfellow turned out for a corner. Robinson took the kick and Curley played it away, but back came the ball and McFarlane conceded the corner. Robinson again floated the ball over, it was half cleared as far as Newton who blazed his shot over the bar. A third corner soon followed, and this time it was Coyne who cleared from Robinson’s kick.

Urchins came back when Wall placed the ball ahead of Kris Lee, who quickly sent Dean Green away. Dean cut inside but hit his shot into the side netting. Urchins stepped up the pace and a long throw from Billy Coyne saw McFarlane head on, and a goalmouth scramble followed before Chris Tucker hammered the ball away. A mistimed pass by Goodfellow which fell well short of Dale Brightly gave Greg Tiffin a shooting chance, but Greg hit his shot over the bar, and then a clearance by Brightly never reached Dean Green, as Lowes nipped in, but quick thinking by Donny Barnard stopped a possible goal when he came over rapidly to tackle on the edge of the area.

A Ross Wall cross was picked off by Rhys Madden as Kris Lee homed in, and Madden then made the save of the match, diving to stop a magnificent goal bound shot from Frank Curley. A throw from Barnard found Kris Lee whose shot was saved well by the diving Madden, who turned the ball around the post. Tomlinson played the corner short to Gray, and it was touched back to Billy Coyne, and back to Bradley Gray, whose shot was turned around the post by Madden, for another corner. Tomlinson took the kick and Madden touched the ball over for a third corner, which Bradley Gray took and Stockley cleared.


Elliot Styles and Simon Parker came on soon after the interval, and Urchins had another scoring opportunity when Dale Brightly’s long clearance found Bradley Gray, who played the ball across to Ross Wall, who raced clear but placed his shot wide of the post. Simon Parker, only just on as substitute, then worked his way into a scoring position, drew Madden off his line, but was forced to shoot from a narrow angle, and the ball cannoned back off the post, and Simon then tried to lob the keeper with the rebound, but the ball landed on the roof of the net. And then it was Tomlinson, back to Styles, on to Parker, who cut in but again had to shoot from an acute angle and Emery blocked the shot. A long throw from Billy Coyne went out for a corner, which Tomlinson took, and Alaile cleared, and Urchins again went close when Ross Wall turned sharply on the edge of the area, and chipped his shot just over the bar.

The home defence was getting a bit jittery, when Luke Nile came on as substitute, and placed the ball ahead of Robinson, whose shot went begging across goal. For the next fifteen minutes the visitors continued to press forward, with Nile behind most of the plays, but they did not threaten Dale Brightly in goal, and it was Urchins who came close to scoring when Wall and Gray combined to set Simon Parker up, but Simon’s shot went just over the bar. The referee indicated four minutes stoppage time, and a high cross deep into the goalmouth saw Simon Parker head on for FRANKIE CURLEY to power home the second goal and to make the match safe.