Despite striking the upright twice and having further efforts cleared off the line the Urchins can count themselves a little unlucky tonight but clinical finishing by the Rocks settled this Essex Senior Cup 3rd round tie.
Tuesday 08-November-2016 – Essex Senior Cup
EAST THURROCK UTD 3 HORNCHURCH 0
ETU – Lucas Lidakevicius, Lee Burns, Frazer Shaw, Ben Wood, Joe Ellul, George Craddock, Michael Freiter, Joe Gardner, Sam Higgins ©, Harry Honesty, Teddy Nesbitt
Subs – Tom Wraight, Ben Marlow, Ryan Sammons, Darren Phillips, Kane Farawald
HFC – Mott, Hursit, Da Cruz, Chouman, Cooper, Goodacre (Hussain 75), Thompson, McKenzie (Coley 81), Lee, Cohen, Seymour
Subs: Bentley, King
Scorers – Higgins 7 – Gardner 24 – Higgins 63
Booking – Thompson 45 (H)
EAST THURROCK UTD 3 HORNCHURCH 0
Hornchurch bowed out of the Essex Senior Cup at National League South side East Thurrock last night, but could count themselves somewhat unfortunate.
Urchins hit the woodwork twice and had other efforts cleared off the line, while the Rocks showed a more clinical edge in front of goal to book their place in the quarter-finals.
Held to 0-0 draws by VCD Athletic and Tilbury in their two most recent Ryman North fixtures, Jimmy McFarlane’s men forced an early chance for Leon McKenzie, which was comfortably saved by Lukas Lidakevicius.
But the home side took the lead on seven minutes when the ball fell kindly for Sam Higgins and he made no mistake.
McKenzie forced a good save from Lidakevicius with a header from an Abs Seymour cross, before the quarter-hour mark, and Paul Goodacre had a header cleared off the line from the resulting corner.
But Rocks doubled their advantage on 24 minutes when a ball down the left found Joe Gardner and he cut inside before curling a shot beyond Sam Mott and into the far corner of the net.
Urchins went close again when Seymour saw his delivery come back off an upright, before McKenzie sent the rebound off the crossbar, but the hosts also hit a post before Mott saved on the stroke of half time.
Jed Chouman had a shot parried on the hour by Lidakevicius, before Urchins conceded a third goal on 63 minutes when the predatory Higgins poked home a cross for his second goal of the tie.
Mott denied Harry Honesty a harsh fourth with a great save 19 minutes from time, before McFarlane was forced to replace the injured Goodacre with Taj Hussain.
McKenzie made way for Ayrton Coley with nine minutes left, but the visitors could not force a consolation as they exited the competition.