The Urchins made it 5 clean sheets in the last 6 games as Nathan Cooper scored for the second game in succession to ensure it was the Urchins who claimed all 3 points.
Saturday 02-December-2017
HORNCHURCH 1 SUDBURY 0
HFC – Bloch, Bentley, Porter, Lee, Cooper, Styles ©, Fanimo (Hursit 83), Roberts (Collis 90+2), McKenzie, Fairweather-Johnson (Joseph 87), Warner
Subs – Chouman, Lambert
S – Walker P, Mills (Eaton-Collins 83), Walker J (Clough 46), Grimes, French, Whight ©, Holland, Hunter, Booth (Maycock 83), Dobson, Peters
Sub – Crisell
Officials – Richard Carter with James Masson and Kane Woods
Scorer – Cooper 66
Bookings – Cooper 19 (H) – Styles 45+1 (H) – Hunter 63 (S) – Mills 69 (S)
Attendance 193
Duration 47.00 + 49.00
H – red & white / black / black
S – yellow / blue / yellow
HORNCHURCH 1 SUDBURY 0
Manager Jim McFarlane, celebrating a record 460 matches in charge, made two enforced changes from the side that won convincingly at Mildenhall on Tuesday, bringing in Matthias Fanimo for the suspended George Purcell, and Elliot Styles for Olumide Oluwatimilehin, who was also serving a one-match suspension.
With Sam Mott still out through injury, Simon Bloch made his home debut, keeping a clean sheet for the second match in succession.
Sudbury have their goalkeeper, Paul Walker, to thank for keeping them in the game, as he made a series of fine saves, especially in the first half, when Hornchurch threatened to overwhelm the visitors.
In the first minute the scene was set when Sean Roberts broke through, only to put his shot high over the bar. A minute later it was Roberts again, this time having his shot deflected around the post. Kenzer Lee headed powerfully at goal from Brad Warner’s corner, and Walker tipped the ball out for a follow-up corner, and Leon McKenzie header just cleared the bar.
Theo Fairweather-Johnson ran through the middle and although his shot eluded Walker, the ball went agonisingly wide of the far post.
As the pressure mounted, a Roberts header went wide, and it was not until 20 minutes that Sudbury managed to get in a shot at goal, which came after Nathan Cooper had conceded a free kick ten yards outside the area, and Joe Whight hit the free kick past the wall but into the waiting arms of Simon Bloch.
Walker made an excellent save to deny McKenzie, who ran on to a Warner centre, and a Jay Porter cross found Fairweather-Johnson, only for Walker to turn the goal-bound shot onto the underside of the bar, before it was scrambled away.
Walker saved from McKenzie and Warner in the space of a minute, and in a rare Sudbury sortie over the half way line Ollie Peters sent his shot wide of the goal. However as the match entered the final seconds of the half, a long-range shot from Reece Dobson cannoned back off the crossbar.
Fanimo went close a minute after half time, and on 50 minutes a Warner corner reached Cooper, whose header was scrambled off the line before the ball was eventually cleared.
Sudbury survived another goalmouth scramble, again from a Warner corner, and a Warner free kick floated tantalising away from Elliot Styles in front of goal. The pressure finally paid off when Warner sent another corner into a packed goalmouth, and the ball bobbled around, and was cleared off the line, only for Nathan Cooper to follow up and place it firmly into the net.
Walker saved well from Fanimo, and Roberts hit a first time volley too high and over the bar, before Walker again saved from Fanimo, who was then replaced by Jamie Hursit.
Tobi Joseph came on for Fairweather-Johnson in the final few minutes and created confusion in the visiting defence, with two direct runs at goal, and Dave Collis, whose last appearance was in October 2016, replaced Roberts to play out the final two minutes of stoppage time.
Hornchurch are now top of the table, on 44 points, four ahead of Dereham, and five ahead of Bowers & Pitsea.