EASTBOURNE 1 HORNCHURCH 1 - line ups and report

[Dagger03]

Saturday 02-February-2013

EASTBOURNE BOROUGH 1 HORNCHURCH 1

 

EB – Ross Worner – Marvin Hamilton – Frankie Raymond – Anware Uddin – Ollie Rowe © - Adam Watts – Charlie Gorman – James Smith (Sam Cole 62) – James Walker (Darren Lok 69) – Elliott Charles – Chris Shephard

Subs – Simon Johnson – Ben Adelsbury – Gary Hart

 

HFC – Joe Woolley – James Love - Alex Bentley – Andy Tomlinson – Paul Goodacre – Reiss Noel – Tambeson Eyong (Joey May 82) – Frankie Curley © - Martin Tuohy (Leon McKenzie 69) – Lewis Smith – Michael Spencer

Subs – Wayne Gray – Simon Glover

Scorers – Charles 26p – Spencer 68

Bookings – Smith 27 (H) - Shephard 61 (E) – Raymond 80 (E) – Eyong 80(H)

Attendance 544

Officials – R Atkin with M Goldsmith and T Ellams

Duration 45.54 + 48.17

Weather – 5 degrees, sunny, wind speed 32 mph

 

EASTBOURNE BOROUGH 1 HORNCHURCH 1

 

Eastbourne can thank their supporters for their point. The loud appeals for virtually everything may well have influenced the match official into awarding a penalty with a decision, which at best was highly dubious, and at worst a travesty.

 

Hornchurch kicked into a near gale in the first half, and on a very soft pitch they started well, but then struggled in the first half hour.

 

Hornchurch could have taken an early lead when a Lewis Smith solo run almost brought a goal, but keeper Ross Worner reacted well to save.

 

Another chance was created when Andy Tomlinson floated a free kick deep across the goal to the far post, where Reiss Noel sent in a powerful header, which Worner saved well.

 

The first indication of what was to come came when Andy Tomlinson neatly chested away a centre from the right, to loud howls from the crowd for a penalty.

 

James Love was forced to concede a corner when Chris Shephard moved in from a Marvin Hamilton pass, and the ball was swerved into the middle where Ollie Rowe headed over the bar.

 

Tambeson Eyong, back in the team after a two match suspension, set off on a fifty yard run along the wing, speeding past two defenders, before slipping the ball inside to Lewis Smith, whose first time shot was again well saved by Worner.

 

Lewis Smith was in unstoppable form, and he raced past three defenders in a run which started from the half way line, and it was Worner once again who saved well.

 

Eastbourne then went ahead in highly controversial circumstances. Shephard tried to weave his way through, but was thwarted by a timely tackle from Andy Tomlinson – the crowd immediately howled for a penalty and the referee, to the fury of Jim McFarlane and almost the entire Hornchurch team, obliged. CHRIS SHEPHARD stepped up to score.

 

Michael Spence went close with a well placed shot, a Tomlinson corner was headed away by Ollie Rowe, before a long clearance by Joe Woolley defied the gale and sailed deep into the home half, where Martin Tuohy raced in from the left to square the ball across goal, and there was no one close enough to touch home.

 

Worner again saved from Spencer, before James Smith almost broke through at the other end, only to be stopped by a well timed Paul Goodacre tackle – this time the referee ignored the appeals – perhaps he had by now become immune to them.

 

The wind dropped noticeably in the second half, and Hornchurch tore the home side apart with a fine display of attacking football, with the home defence terrorized by Lewis Smith.

 

Eastbourne managed the first attack of the half, Shephard combining with Raymond, who was denied by Love at the expense of a corner. Shephard sent the ball over, and Goodacre cleared comfortably.

 

It was in midfield where Hornchurch began to dominate, Andy Tomlinson and Tambeson Eyong leading the way, but it was up front where Lewis Smith was creating sheer panic in the home defence. Smith won a corner, which Tomlinson sent over, and Frankie Curley’s flick was deflected for a second corner. Tomlinson played the ball short to Smith, took the return and sent the ball deep into the goalmouth, where Martin Tuohy fired in a hard shot, which Worner saved.

 

Smith twice almost weaved through, but it was a long pass from Curley, from the right over the left, which enabled MICHAEL SPENCER to level the score.

 

Eastbourne were stretched to almost breaking point, and when Alex Bentley intercepted a pass, he quickly played the ball up to Lewis Smith, who raced from inside his own half, leaving two defenders trailing, and his hard shot skimmed the bar.

 

Smith then gathered the ball on the right, and sent in a low cross into the middle, which Tuohy just failed to reach.

 

Leon McKenzie came on for Tuohy, whilst Joey May replaced Tambeson Eyong, whose hard running style of play did not go down well with the home crowd.

 

Spencer opened up the left side with a good run, before sending the ball into the path of McKenzie, who ran forward, and then lobbed his shot over keeper Worner, but also just a fraction too high and over the bar.

 

Smith twice opened up the home defence, and the match moved into stoppage time, where Eastbourne almost grabbed the winner when a shot, through a crowd of players, was saved by Joe Woolley – the only time he had to make a save from a shot on target, such was the dominance of the Hornchurch defence.