Westview Essex Senior League
Saturday 22nd April 2006
	Tilbury	1 - 2	AFC Hornchurch
Hattam 42'		H/T 1-1 Att: 179	Burbridge 38' 53'

Match Highlights

Tilbury

AFC Hornchurch

	38	GOAL - Burbridge
Hattam - GOAL	42
	53	GOAL - Burbridge
Port - OFF Deakin - ON	60
Ashman - OFF Dosser - ON	73	OFF - Holland ON - Drake
Smart - OFF Shelley - ON	83
	86	OFF - Sontag ON - Springer

Match Report by Tony Middleton
 

For the last league match of the season, it was back to Tilbury, who needed three points to ensure finishing in a promotion position, whilst Urchins needed the three points to break the record number of points in a season. The pitch was hard and bumpy, the flat bits being bumpier than the bumpy bits, and a strong cross field wind made conditions awkward. A slowish start with neither side threatening. IA mistimed tackle by Port on Danny Cowley gave Urchins a free kick on the half way line. Steve King found Danny Cowley with the long penetrating kick, and Danny touched the ball back to Burbridge, whose first time shot went over the bar. A second free kick almost brought a goal, when Danny Cowley, out on the touchline, sent in an almost perfect ball, forcing Marrable to back peddle and tip the ball out for a corner. Paul Golby flighted the corner over, Smart headed out and Nicky Cowley recovered possession with a timely interception, and played the ball back again, where Holland rose well, but headed wide.

Lee Sontag went close with a hard shot from the left, well saved by Marrable, and it became one way traffic with Tilbury rarely breaking out of defence. So much so that a kestrel took to hunting over the waste land behind the Urchins goal. The siege was briefly lifted by a long throw in from ex-Romford player Jordon Tolon, who joined the Chads in April having signed right on the deadline. The throw dropping dangerously towards Cobb, with Dennis heading away. A Bostock free kick was touched over by Marrable, and Tiffin put the corner over too long and the ball drifted out of play harmlessly. Then Dennis moved forward to power a header towards Holland, and he neatly chipped the defence to Rikki Burbridge who ran on and fired the ball over Marrable and into the net for the first goal – only for offside to be given, when for the first time in the match the referee decided to agree with the linesman who was waving away merrily – and wrongly.

Nicky Cowley was fouled by Sammons, and from Danny Cowley’s free kick McGoldrick did well to clear his lines, but the ball was promptly hit back upfield to Holland, who turned it out to Sontag, whose cross was headed back to Marrable by Hattam. A long throw by Paul Golby was headed on by King, with Harris clearing upfield. Tilbury came more into the game, Tolan’s free kick finding Hattam and Hickman doing well to come out to clear upfield, the ball dropping deep and forcing Marrable at the other end to rush out to prevent Holland homing in on goal. The best move of the match so far came when Nicky Cowley won possession and went on a long run, and he played the ball on to Burbridge, who turned it out to Sontag on the left, his cross being chipped back onto the roof of the net. A goal began to look unlikely as Tilbury dug in, and the crowd became frustrated at what they considered to be a stream of incorrect decisions, usually with the linesman signalling one way and the referee signalling the other way. Danny Cowley needed treatment when he was stopped by the joint efforts of Ashman and Smart, and a free kick was awarded 35 yards out, towards the left side of the field. A long way out, and no chance of a goal – until RIKKI BURBRIDGE stepped up to power the ball into the net. One nil, and the champions were on their way.

With Urchins having so much of the play, it was something of a surprise when LEE HATTAM popped up to head home from a corner, to level the play, to the obvious delight of the home players, and Tilbury came back again strongly when Ashman’s excellent centre found Cobb, whose flick looked certain to end up in the net until the flying Hickman touched the ball over the bar.

Plenty to talk about at half time – why did the linesman’s flag invariably point one way and the referee’s arm point the other? Why was the admission price £1 more than it was earlier in the season? With so many balls being kicked out the ground, would Tilbury run out of balls before the Urchins ran out of steam? Was it possible to get smaller sausages than the ones in the rolls?

The Chads began the second half where they had left off in the first one, with a powerful thrust down the middle, which ended in a free kick, which Sammons fired in, and Hickman did well to hang on under heavy pressure. With the wind gaining in power, Urchins struggled for a time to get any form of rhythm, but were rewarded when sheer persistence brought the second goal, when RIKKI BURBRIDGE followed through and got a foot to what would otherwise have been a routine clearance, and Rikki became Rick O’Shay Burbridge, as the ball rebounded ever so slowly goalwards – so slow in fact that no fewer than five Tilbury players chased after it, and the ball slowed down, looked around, obviously did not fancy being booted out the ground, so it sped up and trickled over the line where it stopped jubilantly just inside the post. Two one to the champions. Goal of the season?

This sparked a Chads rally – Cobb, ever dangerous even when not appearing to be, stroked a pass to Deakin, and Sontag tackled, Cobb again with a good shot which Hickman saved, and a long throw from Tolon being headed wide by McGoldrick. The pressure was on, but not for long as Burbridge charged down a high upfield ball and Marrable did well to race out to kick clear. Sontag up to Holland whose shot was turned round the post by Smart, Tiffin’s corner being well held by Marrable, under pressure from Holland. Craig Dennis promptly played the clearance back to King, who was through but was pulled up for offside. A Paul Golby corner was then cleared upfield to Cobb, who was thwarted by a good tackle by Bostock, the ball running loose and Hickman racing out of his area to kick clear. A Paul Golby throw to Holland saw Billy crack the ball narrowly wide, and then Holland made a good move on the left, finishing it off with an excellent pass out to Burbridge who ran on and fired his shot only inches wide.

Holland went off to a standing ovation, and Billy Drake came on to create havoc in his usual non-stop manner. Tiffin made a good run on the right, his cross going begging in front of goal, and then Danny Cowley sent a good pass across to Burbridge whose centre saw Billy Drake hammer in a shot, which Marrable tipped over the bar for a goal kick – usually when a keeper makes a great save like this, a corner is given, but this is the Essex Senior League.

Steve King then made a penetrating run through the middle, and found Drake, whose shot was saved by Marrable, whilst a Tiffin pass to Lee Springer, on for Sontag, saw Lee weave past three defenders, before Marrable managed to touch the ball out of play for a corner, which Tiffin took, to Nicky Cowley and then to Danny Cowley, who picked out Drake, whose shot was well saved again by Marrable. Almost on time Danny Cowley intercepted a pass meant for Cobb and sent Tiffin away, Greg’s shot going wide.

And so – 22 matches unbeaten, undefeated since the 6th of December, unbeaten in 23 matches away from home since August, 23 clean sheets, a record number of points, 110 goals scored, the highest attendance at every single ground in the ESL this season, an average home attendance of 400 – not bad for a parks team – in a word - CHAMPIONS.

Video Highlights by Rob Monger

- 38mins.Rikki Burbridge puts in front (670KB)
- 42mins. Lee Hattam equalises for Tilbury (470KB)
- 53mins. Rikki Burbridge scores his second (690KB)

  Teams

Tilbury James Marrable Courtney McLean Terry Harris (c) Bradley Smart Bobby Port Lee Hattam Danny McGoldrick Paul Cobb Jordon Tolon Hugh Ashman Paul Sammons SUBS Tom Dosser Tim Dada Paul Talbot Simon Deakin Mike Shelley

- 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 * 12 14 15 16 17 GK

AFC Hornchurch John Hickman Greg Tiffin Lee Sontag Craig Dennis Steve King Jordan Bostock Nicky Cowley (c) Danny Cowley Billy Holland Rikki Burbridge Paul Golby SUBS Lee Springer Billy Drake Matt Hayes Glen Golby Micheal Collier

Man of the Match Nominated by ...

Weather Conditions:  11 degrees. Wind speed gusts up to 20mph

Match Duration: First half 46mins 5secs. Second Half 50mins 15secs
 

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