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CARSHALTON ATHLETIC 1 HORNCHURCH 2
Hornchurch took three points from a very windswept Carshalton with a dominant display that ranks among their best of the season. In their Purple People Eater strip, they took control right from the start, when Lewis Smith fed a good pass out to Martin Tuohy on the right wing, and Tuohy cut inside and fired in a hard shot that went narrowly over the bar.
And with Leon McKenzie playing up front, to make it a 4-3-3 formation, it was Leon who carved the home defence wide open with an excellent pass out to Tuohy, whose cross found Smith in front of goal, only for Lewis to direct his header narrowly of the near post.
Simon Glover sent Michael Spencer away on the left side, and the resulting cross was well fielded by Nick Hamann.
Hornchurch continued to press and again went close when Spencer’s corner found Frankie Curley, whose first time volley went over the bar.
Joe Anderson broke up a rare home move and sent a long ball through to McKenzie, who touched back to Glover, whose shot was well held by Hamann.
Glover then played a lengthy pass down the middle, where McKenzie headed on to Tuohy, whose shot was well saved by Hamann.
James Love dealt with anything that came his way, and it was his long pass up to McKenzie that almost led to the opening goal, and Leon headed on to Tuohy, only for Michael Kamara to direct a header back towards his own goal, forcing Hamann to backpedal and grab the ball just before it crossed the line.
Hamann was quickly back in action when he ran out of his area to head away as McKenzie chased a long ball from Curley. But only as far as Love who started the move which led to LEWIS SMITH calmly firing the ball home from outside the area.
Love then ran through the home defence and his shot was blocked by Ricardo Joseph.
Next it was Tuohy’s turn to open up the home defence, with a good pass to Smith, whose first time shot forced Hamann into making the save of the match.
In a very rare home sortie up field, Rickie Hayles calmly headed back to an almost redundant Joe Woolley., and play promptly switched to the other end where Curley sent Tuohy away, only for Martin to the brought down inside the area, though play was allowed to continue, despite loud appeals for a penalty.
Tuohy ran on to meet a pass from Smith almost on half time, but directed his shot a fraction wide of the post.
Carshalton made two changes at half time, introducing Ola Sogbanmu and Dean McDonald, and they started well. Their first shot of the match came from David Ray, who had move up to help out the attack. Ray’s first shot was blocked by Hayles, and the ball rebounded to Ray who this time fired his shot wide.
Hornchurch quickly regained the ascendency, when Anderson opened up the left side before crossing into the middle where Tuohy’s lobbed shot cleared the keeper and rebounded off the crossbar, to McKenzie, who immediately crashed the ball back, but just wide of the post.
With the home side struggling under the constant and non stop pressure, Smith took a return pass from Glover and Lewis hit his shot hard at goal, and the ball was deflected for a corner. Anderson played the corner short to Tuohy, whose centre fell perfectly for LEWIS SMITH who powered his header into the net.
The pressure continued, with Anderson winning a corner, which he played into the middle, but this time the ball was headed to safety.
It was Elliot Styles who had the next shot, when he ran on to a long clearance from Hamann and Elliot’s header, from deep inside his own half, had Hamann leaping high to prevent the ball from going over his head.
And Elliot was back in action at the other end, when he headed a Luke Pigden corner to safety.
Justyn Roberts was fortunate to escape with just a finger wagging when he brought down Curley just outside the area, and Lewis Smith took the free kick and forced another good save from Hamann.
Pigden put his own keeper under pressure with a poor back header, but Hamann was quick to move out to grab the ball as McKenzie homed in.
Paul Vines managed to get in a shot for the home side, which was blocked by Styles, and it was Vines in action again a minute later when he ran on to a loose ball after a defensive slip. Woolley raced out of goal in what appeared to be a hopeless effort, but it was enough to force Vines to direct his shot wide of the goal.
Tambeson Eyong came on for Martin Tuohy, and was quickly involved when he ran through the middle, powered past defenders, and hit his shot narrowly over the bar.
And it was Tambeson again, when he was put clear on the right by McKenzie. Tambeson homed in on goal but chose to play the ball into the middle, where Lewis Smith just failed to get a touch.
Almost on time PAUL VINES took full advantage of a defensive error to crash the ball home from outside the area, but Hornchurch only had to play the ball away from one remaining home attack, before the final whistle went.
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