HORNCHURCH 1 DORCHESTER 0 - the best performance of the season

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Saturday 15-September-2012

HORNCHURCH 1 DORCHESTER 0

 

HFC – Joe Wooley – James Love – Michael Spencer – Simon Glover – Paul Goodacre – Reiss Noel – Tambeson Eyong - Frankie Curley © -– Martin Tuohy (Leon McKenzie 87) – Lewis Smith – Sam Cutler (Andy Tomlinson 82)

Subs – Aaron Gayle – Joey May – Elliot Styles

 

DT – Jason Matthews – Mark Jermyn © - Neil Martin – Charlie Clough – Nathan Walker – Jamie Gleeson (Jon Garcia 72) – Nick Crittenden (Sam Malsom 59) – Ash Nicholls – Ben Watson – Jamie Reid – Jake Gosling (Lewis Morgan at half time)

Subs – Harry Bell – Elliott Ward

 

Scorer – Lewis Smith 32

Bookings – Clough 55 (DT) - Spencer 57 (H) – Walker 68 (DT) - Eyong 88 (H) – Smith 89 (H)

Officials – M George with A Wilson and S Meale

Weather – sunny, 21 degrees, wind speed 6 mph

Duration 45.55 + 49.05

Attendance 273

 

HORNCHURCH 1 DORCHESTER 0

 

Hornchurch made it two wins in succession in a match that they dominated from the start, and could have won by several goals, whilst visitors Dorchester, second in the table, could not manage a single shot on goal, and on the few occasions they got anywhere near to the home goal Reiss Noel and Paul Goodacre calmly mopped up. And with James Love and Michael Spencer shutting out any threats that came from the wings it was very much a five star Hornchurch performance.

 

With a lLancaster bomber soaring overhead from the nearby air show, Hornchurch almost took an early lead when Tambeson Eyong left defenders trailing, before setting up Martin Tuohy, whose shot was deflected past the post for a corner.

 

And when Charlie Clough headed away from Sam Cutler’s corner kick, Lewis Smiths fired the ball back, just inches wide of the post.

Eyong again, demoralizing the defence with a penetrating run, and this time he slipped the ball through to Frankie Curley, whose shot was well saved by Jason Matthews.

 

Eyong and Smith then combined to set up Tuohy, whose shot was turned around the post by Matthews.

 

It was then Smith’s turn to set up Eyong, and Tambeson’s shot was scrambled away, but only as far as Michael Spencer, who followed up at speed to hit his shot just a fraction too high.

 

After a Spencer corner had been cleared, the ball was returned along the left wing, and from the resulting short pass into the middle LEWIS SMITH crashed in a left footed shot from 30 yards out to give Hornchurch a deserved lead.

 

Lewis Smith then performed a Cinderella celebration, and on this form there could be a lot more to come.

 

With Dorchester seemingly outclassed in every department, Cutler and Tuohy raced through their defence, and Cutler’s shot rolled tantalizingly wide of the post.

 

Almost on half time Dorchester made their only telling move of the half, when Jake Gosling moved along the left wing, and his dangerous cross was held by Woolley under pressure from a visiting forward.

 

Hornchurch continued to press in the second half and almost found the net when Tuohy glanced his header inches wide from Cutler’s well flighted free kick.

 

Eyong then made the opening from the right which led to Tuohy slotting the ball into the net, but the goal was ruled out for offside.

 

In a rare Dorchester breakaway Jamie Reid fired wide from Nick Crittenden’s cross.

 

Hornchurch replied immediately when Eyong left defenders trailing before crossing low into the goalmouth, where Curley’s flick was blocked on the line and the ball scrambled to safety.

 

Martin Tuohy then raced through the middle, leaving three defenders in his wake, and although his shot beat Matthews in the visiting goal, the ball rebounded back off the post, and was booted out for a corner. Cutler sent the ball over and Goodacre’s shot was scrambled away.

 

Dorchester then won a corner which Neil Martin sent into the goalmouth, and Paul Goodacre headed powerfully away.

 

Lewis Smith embarked on one of this trademark runs and his shot was turned out for a corner.

 

At the other end Dorchester won a second corner, which was taken by Sam Malsom, and again calmly headed away by Goodacre.

 

Simon Glover then touched on a long Woolley kick to Lewis Smith whose run and shot ended with another corner, which Cutler sent over, and which Goodacre met with a header, the ball hitting a defender and deflecting out for a follow up Cutler corner.

 

Andy Tomlinson came on for Cutler and Leon McKenzie replaced Martin Tuohy, but in between the two substitutions Tuohy nearly increased the lead with a shot that rebounded off the inside of the post.

 

In the four minutes added on for stoppages Dorchester posed their only threatening moves of the match, but found Noel and Goodacre in complete control in the middle, apart from two hopeful long range attempts which Woolley easily fielded.