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AFC HORNCHURCH 1 HARROW BOROUGH 0
A light mist lay over the ground and a steady drizzle fell, making the pitch very slippery. Only one change to the starting line up – Lewis Smith came in after his one match suspension. Harrow were unchanged.
If it was Garry Jones whose free kicks was a feature of the first match, it was visiting keeper Nick Pope who had a major impact on the replay, and he was called into action in the first minute when he had to save a Martin Tuohy shot after Les Thompson had opened up the defence and crossed from the right wing. Thompson again left defenders trailing when he took a pass from Lewis Smith and crossed, and this time it was Garry Jones who cleared, to concede the first corner of the match. Michael Spencer floated the ball over and Pope rose well to punch the ball out for a follow up corner. Spencer again, and Pope again, rising to catch the ball as it dipped goalwards.
Rickie Hayles came to the rescue when Harrow made a rare sortie up field, and it was his timely tackle which prevented Mo Habu from getting a shot in. Frankie Curley then combined with Thompson, Hayles and Martin Tuohy, to force another corner, and a long throw from Hayles led to two more corners in quick succession with keeper Pope once again saving. Jon-Jo Bates had a chance for Harrow, but Joe Anderson quickly came across to intercept and play the ball back to Joe Woolley who was largely a spectator for much of the match.
Hornchurch took the lead when the ball was played out to the left for Lewis Smith and the resulting centre was headed home by LES THOMPSON, for his first ever goal for Hornchurch. And Thompson could have added a second when his free kick led to a goalmouth scramble before the ball was finally booted away. Pope then made a good save from Martin Tuohy, and when Thompson sent Simon Glover away on the right it was Jones who tackled and cleared.
Thompson was causing the Harrow defence more than a few problems and it was from one of his runs along the right that Hornchurch nearly scored again, but there was no one able to get onto the ball as it rolled tantalisingly across goal. Evandro Delgado conceded a free kick a few yards outside the area when he brought down Lewis Smith, but Lewis took the kick himself, and hit the ball over the bar.
Close to half time Jones took Harrow’s first corner of the match and Frankie Curley cleared up field to Thompson who weaved his way through to set up Lewis Smith, but Lewis mishit his shot and the ball was easily gathered by Pope.
At the start of the second half Les Wootton conceded a free kick when he brought Lewis Smith down. Smith took the free kick, and the ball hit Dean Fenton in the wall and cannoned to safety. A Joe Anderson throw to Lewis Smith opened up the defence and Biko Bradnock-Brennan tackled to give away another corner, which Spencer took and Pope caught. And Pope made the save of the match when he dived backwards to tip a Frankie Curley headed over the bar after Tuohy had centred, and Pope then comfortably dealt with Spencer’s inswinging corner kick.
Harrow’s one and only shot on target followed a Jones free kick, and the resulting header was saved by Joe Woolley. Jon Hunt came on for Spencer, and Tambeson Eyong came on for Thompson. Hunt was quickly in action when he took a pass from Lewis Smith, but his first time chip shot went over keeper Pope and also over the bar. A Harrow corner was cleared without any real difficulty, and at the other end Eyong combined with Smith to set up Tuohy, but Pope once again saved well. Woolley then dealt equally well with a Jones free kick, whilst a long ball from Reiss Noel sent Smith away, and Pope rushed ten yards out of his area to intercept. Elliot Styles started a good move which involved several players before Tuohy headed on to Hunt , who touched the ball back to Tuohy, and Pope made an excellent save to turn Martin’s shot out for a corner. Hunt took the kick and Curley’s header was tipped around the post for another corner, which Pope held as the ball came over.
Play was halted whilst the referee spoke to Wayne Walters and Martin Tuohy, and Andy Tomlinson came on to replace Tuohy. Shortly afterwards assistant manager Jason Goodliffe received a red card after a lengthy discussion with the referee. The match went into stoppage time and keeper Pope now became Harrow’s leading forward, when he came up field for three corners in succession, and it was Pope who had everything and everyone in the net from the third corner – all except the ball, and the referee promptly awarded a free kick, for what passed as a very good impression of a Nat Lofthouse shoulder charge. A Jones free kick came to nothing and that proved to be the final kick of the match, and Hornchurch now travel to Thurrock.
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