29/10/2016 – Report – AFC Hornchurch – Under 21’s versus Weeley Athletic FC – EPC(R2)

BBC ESSEX SATURDAY PREMIER CUP                             ROUND TWO

 

AFC HORNCHURCH – UNDER 21’s:                        2.

WEELEY ATHLETIC FC:                                           1.

 

Date:   Saturday 30^th October 2016.                                    Venue: Hornchurch Stadium, Hornchurch.

 

Last week I recalled that my trip to Barnston was the longest for an ESBFL fixture so this week I went one better by offering to drive the minibus for my own club, Weeley Athletic FC as they had to travel to Hornchurch to play the AFC Hornchurch – Under 21’s in the second round of the BBC Essex Premier Cup. By way of recollection, last season Weeley had beaten this same opposition at the quarter-final stage but only after extra-time so once again I expected a close game.

 

Weeley had McLean, Duffus, Watt and Simon unavailable from their normal squad but Westrip returned after work commitments with Law and King stepping up from the Reserves as the team travelled with just one substitute! The match was to be played at the Hornchurch Stadium where the pitch looked in exceptional condition with a good covering of grass despite the prolonged dry period.

 

The match official was Romford based, Kadir Nazir, who on the day would be assessed for future promotion but with Weeley having travelled without their change of socks, both teams had black, the home team kindly agreed to wear a different strip to what they had intended to use.

 

Hornchurch kicked off and within a minute they had forced a corner with Heffer already limping from an earlier tackle on Fanga but Heffer was on hand to head the corner kick up-field with Nash and Payne giving chase to earn a corner themselves, taken by Davis but the ball failed to reach the six-yard box. Another penetrating run from Payne set Nash away but as the huge home keeper advanced the ball hit his frame and was cleared for a corner, but a decent and positive chance for the visitors. Payne took this kick and Downes forced another corner on the other side which saw Hornchurch break to the other end where Downes conceded a corner when clearing a cross from Farmer but the game had started brightly with end-to-end football. From the next attack a clear call from keeper Freeman led to Griffin heading comfortably back as Dickens threatened. On ten minutes a quickly taken free-kick y Hornchurch, from a position nowhere near where the offence happened, almost caught Weeley out as Dickens fed Holland wide on the right side, only for his deep cross to clear the cross-bar. A long clearance from Freeman was headed on by King to Nash who was stopped as Oluwole committed a foul and received a talking too. Payne took the free-kick but wastefully over the cross-bar, especially as his defenders had gone forward to attack the free-kick.

Fanga tried his best to get round Downes, turning one-way then the other and when he did eventually cross the ball, Findlay was on hand to block the ball out for a corner, taken by Holland with Fanga heading over from six yards out. A break by Nash chasing a high clearance from Findlay put the retreating home defence under pressure but without support the best efforts of Nash led to another corner and soon afterwards Nash and Heffer jumped for the same aerial ball to set King away only for Dipple to make a good recovering tackle. Heffer was spoken too for a rash challenge on Dickens, definitely the home play-maker from midfield, and Dickens set up Farmer for a shot which flew wide. Westrip was a bit slow into a tackle on Holland, again Dickens took the free-kick but Weeley cleared through Payne to Nash who held the ball up well for Appleby whose run down the right side was rewarded with a corner kick.

On twenty-five minutes Downes was adjudged to have fouled the gangly Fanga, the referee could have played on but brought the game back allowing Dickens to find Holland who turned Westrip but Heffer dived to head the ball away with the home team screaming for a penalty as the ball did seem to catch the arm of the Weeley player who was virtually lying on the ground. Fanga and Downes again clashed inside the penalty area, the home team asked who was counting the fouls but the referee was unmoved as both teams were equally as guilty of the odd nudge or push. Another corner from Holland saw Freeman punch clear and the Weeley keeper made a superb save low down to his left after Fanga laid the ball back to Dickens. Weeley pushed forward themselves through Payne, Nash and Heffer to Appleby whose rasping low shot was held low down at the near post by Bowles. Davis just avoided a high boot from Bolton who earned a rebuke from the official, Hornchurch complained about the robust challenges from Weeley and when one home player shouted “he’s only seventeen” the quick response was “this is adult football so tell him to grow-up”

When Findlay conceded a corner, Holland drifted the ball over to Bolton who stole in to head firmly goalwards but Freeman was alert to save a full stretch at the right hand post despite Westrip standing behind him. Payne broke away down the left side crossing wide to Appleby on the right with Edmonds conceding a throw-in down by the corner flag, and as it stood up to now both teams looked dangerous at set pieces. A cross from Westrip found King who laid the ball back to Nash who found Appleby whose shot went narrowly wide. A throw-in from Griffin to Appleby found the head of Nash with Bowles saving then a long clearance from Freeman found King who flicked the ball on towards Nash with Dipple covering and the first half of equal endeavour ended goal-less. As we walked back to the refreshment bar I commented to the Referee’s Assessor that I thought he, the referee, had had a good first half dealing effectively with what he saw happening, as a game it was tight and we looked forward to the second half .

 

HALF-TIME:       0 – 0

 

Weeley kicked-off the second half with Heffer sending in a long range effort after as astute pass from Davis who had received the ball from Nash who had waited for a colleague to arrive before laying the ball off. Freeman saved well at the feet of Fanga and noticeably Hornchurch were verbally challenging every challenge asking for free-kicks that were not there! Davis sent Appleby away down the right side and from his deep cross Nash headed back into the danger area where King volleyed wide. At the other end Oluwole got past Downes to send a delightful cross to Fanga who held his head in his hands as Freemen produced an outstanding point-blank save from the header three yards out. Appleby and King set Nash away only to be caught off-side, it was close but correct, then Davis and Payne worked the ball wide to Appleby with the home defence standing firm once again.

On fifty-five minutes Hornchurch replaced Farmer with Walker and his introduction certainly changed the dynamic of the game with his constant snapping and harassing of players who had the ball and the game, in my opinion, did deteriorate thereafter as both teams became stretched at both ends of the field. Nash received a caution for pushing Oluwole to the ground after a heated verbal exchange then Nash proceeded to chase a through ball from King holding the ball up waiting for support which arrived through Payne. When Heffer dived into a tackle on Oluwole his timing was out, a free-kick was awarded and a caution administered with no problems about those two decisions. On sixty-five minutes Griffin was replaced by Law and Hornchurch replaced Bolton with Parlour, Downes went on a forward foray and after crossing the half-way line was upended by Dickens, Law took the free-kick with Heffer and Findlay vying for the same aerial ball inside the six-yard box allowing Hornchurch to clear. A fine cross-field pass from Davis set Payne racing through but by just over-running the ball his goal-bound shot still forced Bowles to save and recover quickly enough as Nash closed in on the loose ball.

Fanga and O’Connor almost put together a decent chance and both teams looked likely to score as the game progressed and play continued to be stretched, as both teams had put in a lot of effort. On eighty minutes, a goal, SAM DICKENS picked up a loose ball thirty-five yards out and fairly drilled the ball past the unsighted Freeman as his defence blocked any view he had of the well placed shot. Minutes later and we witnessed one of those unseemly melee’s when every player piles in, Downes dived late into a challenge on Walker, who was clearly not happy and then Downes was seemingly grabbed around the throat by O’Connor, queue the melee leaving the referee with a difficult moment as players from both sides either made matters worse or tried to calm things down. The net result was a caution for Downes, for his challenge, a caution for Walker for his reaction, a second caution for Heffer for showing dissent, a caution for Dickens, but no action against. From the free-kick, SAM DICKENS scored another well taken goal driving the dipping ball over the defensive wall and past the despairing dive of Freeman which allowed the lucky, O’Connor to be replaced by Shanahan! Weeley pushed forward and were awarded a free-kick on the half-way line, JAMES LAW hit a speculative free-kick goalwards, nobody challenged for the ball but somehow the home keeper despite calling for the ball, let it bounce through his legs and roll agonisingly over the goal-line. As the game entered the last tense minutes, Westrip challenged for a ball wide on the left side, but when leaving the ground and showing his studs and despite connecting with the ball the referee issued a straight red card, the first of his career and to a player who does not court in-discipline, a decision that clearly did not go down very well with the travelling players.

 

FULL TIME:        2 – 1

 

Whilst I expected a close game, I did not, after the first half showing expect the shenanigans towards the end of the match for whilst both teams gave an awful lot of effort and played some decent football, the discipline of both sets of players eventually let them down, that said I felt the referee after a controlled first half, was too lenient early in the second half and could and should have issued more cards of either colour to players from both teams, a fact that even the Assessor agreed with.

 

Last season Weeley had progressed to the semi-final of this competition which probably was the reason they did not win Division One, this season it is all about consolidating in the Premier Division so maybe not having a County Cup distraction will enable this to happen.

 

As it was a cup match my Man of the Match selection will be a player from either team, Dickens for Hornchurch was their main play-maker and scored two well taken goals, for Weeley, lots of effort from all the players but this week Findlay, in defence, stayed calm throughout, got on with his job winning crucial tackles and headers.

 

Teams:

 

AFC HORNCHURCH – UNDER 21’s:               Colours:            Blue & White Shirts, Blue Shorts and Blue Socks.

Joe Bowles., Jack Edmonds., Emmanuel Oluwole., Luke Bolton., Ross Dipple., Will Barry., Frankie Holland., Sam Dickens (C)., Elie Fanga., George O’Connor., George Farmer

 

Assistant Manager:        Alan Dickens

Used Substitutes:          Alfie Walker., Joe Shanahan., Frankie Parlour.

 

 

WEELEY ATHLETIC FC:                                   Colours:            Orange Shirts, Black Shorts and Black Socks

Mitchell Freeman., Matthew Westrip., Jimmy Griffin., Steven Downes (C)., Daniel Findlay., Steven Davis., Mitchell Payne., Thomas Heffer., Ross Nash., Lewis King., Thomas Appleby.

 

Manager:                      Fred Fuller.

Used Substitutes:          James Law.

 

 

Referee:                       Kadir NAZIR                  (Romford)

 

Men of the Match:      Sam DICKENS            (AFC HORNCHURCH – Under 21’s)

                                    Daniel FINDLAY         (WEELEY ATHLETIC FC)

 

******************************************************************************

 

Request to Club / Fixture Secretaries

 

This season the fixtures, results, referees and “kick-off” times will be shown automatically on “The FA Full-Time / The Whole Game System” ( http://full-time.thefa.com ) but would all Club / Fixture Secretaries please advice any agreed changes, as required, to Alison Willmore ( mjw1947@sky.com ) especially for evening games and for those matches being played under floodlights etc.

 

KO is 2:00pm in:             November, December & January

KO is 2:30pm in:             February

KO is 3:00pm from:        March to end of season

 

Cup Matches:

Kick-Off times for ESBFL cup matches, are generally 30 minutes earlier than those shown above but check competition rules beforehand.

Kick-Off times for Essex County Football Association cup matches are published on the ECFA web-site.

( www.essexfa.com/competitions/county-cups )

 

 

 

ESBFL “web-site”

 

The web-site for the Essex & Suffolk Border Football League is:              www.esblfootball.com