Report

Two home wins in a week for the Urchins as they find their goalscoring form, brushing aside Ware 4-0 with a hat-trick from Leon McKenzie and a fourth from Ross Wall.

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Saturday 10-December-2016
HORNCHURCH 4 WARE 0

HFC – Mott, Bentley ©, Da Cruz, Lee, Cooper, Chouman, Thompson (Hussain 79), Osman, McKenzie (Purcell 75), Wall, Luke (Coley 70)
Subs – Cohen, Morrish

W – Bogard, Mace, Oudji, Obibo, Karagul ©, Bradbury, Mason (Goss 75), Reynolds, Haule (Oyinsan 38), Price, Vaughan (Hervel 58)
Subs – Delgado, Harris

Officials – Andreas Anastasiou with Jair Alzate Guzman and Turan Yesilyurt

Scorers – McKenzie 17 – McKenzie 51 – McKenzie 68 – Wall 75
No bookings
Attendance 123
Duration 47.00 + 47.00

HORNCHURCH 4 WARE 0

Despite having several key players missing due to injury or suspension, Hornchurch cruised to a comfortable win over Ware, who, after losing Brian Haule with a first half injury rarely threatened Sam Mott in the home goal.

Hornchurch almost took a second minute lead when Sam Mott’s long kick upfield was grabbed by Clarke Bogard as Leon McKenzie moved in.

After a spell of pressure, when the ball rarely left the Ware half, an Alex Bentley free kick just eluded McKenzie and the ball drifted wide of the far post.

Bogard did well to beat Nathan Cooper to another free kick that dropped deep into the Ware goalmouth, and Hornchurch took the lead on 17 minutes when Junior Luke’s long throw caused havoc among the Ware defence, and although Bogard saved Ross Wall’s shot, both Leon McKenzie and Abs Thompson were quick to follow up, and it was McKenzie who got the all-important touch to open the scoring.

A Luke first time volley went narrowly over the bar, and McKenzie got onto the end of a Thompson centre, but directed his header over the bar.

The Hornchurch defence cleared a Ware corner, and shortly afterwards Brian Haule left the field with an injury and was replaced by Josh Oyinsan.

A Thompson run ended with a hard shot into the side netting, and another Thompson run found Ross Wall, whose header was over the bar.

Mott was called into action immediately after the interval, saving well from Gareth Price, and Ware won two corners in quick succession, before play switched back to the other end, and after some confusion in the Ware defence, the ball ran out to Luke, whose pass found Leon McKenzie, who turned sharply and fired in the second goal, via a post.

Bogard saved well from Junior Luke who had made a penetrating solo run through the middle, and the resulting corner was cleared off the line.

Ware replied with a breakaway, which led to a corner.

Bogard saved well from McKenzie, following good work by Wall, and Wall then hit a first time shot wide of the far post.

Wall again went close, when Thompson made ground on the right and centred, the ball being deflected for a corner, from which Leon McKenzie scored his third goal of the match, shooting through a packed defence.

Luke has earlier needed attention following an injury and he was replaced by Ayrton Coley, possibly to the relief of an overworked and overrun Ware defence.

Abs Thompson set up the fourth goal with another rapid sortie along the right, and his cross found Ross Wall, who, in his one hundredth game for the Urchins, fired a first time shot hard into the net.

George Purcell came on for McKenzie, and twice went close with shots from outside the area, and it was Purcell who then moved in from the left and crossed into the goalmouth, the ball just eluding Ross Wall.

Ware tried hard to get a consolation goal, but Sam Mott was rarely called upon to make a save, in a match where Hornchurch could have won by a much larger margin.