Purcell and Eyong sink the Yachtsmen

A Purcell brace, a return goal for Eyong and another clean sheet for Sam Mott.

Saturday 20-February-2016
HORNCHURCH 3 WROXHAM 0

HFC – Mott – Thompson (Chouman 78) – Styles © - May – Cooper – Goodacre – Eyong – Collis – St Aimie (Knight 83) – Purcell – Bentley
Subs - Dove - Freeman

WFC - Pride - Steve Taylor - Potter - Lemmon (Halliday at HT) - Aarron Taylor - Sommerfield - Garrod - King - Davey (Forshaw 16) - Hinton © - Kelleher (Gray 78)
Subs - Sturman

Officials - Dave Bushell with Luigi Lungarella and James Keane

Scorers - Purcell 45+1 - Purcell 49 - Eyong 77
Booking - Garrod 44 (W)
Attendance 188
Weather - persistent rain, 12 degrees
Duration - 48.00 + 47.00

HORNCHURCH 3 WROXHAM 0

The rain started an hour before kick off, and continued throughout the match, as the pitch became increasingly heavy.

Hornchurch kicked towards the windmill end in the first half, and Wroxham were forced to defend for long periods.

Elliot Pride was soon in action, saving from Tambeson Eyong, whose return to the Bridge proved to be very popular with the home crowd.

Wroxham were awarded a free kick thirty yards out when Abs Thompson fouled Seamus Kelleher, but Sam Mott was not troubled as the free kick was sent over the defence and out of the reach of everyone.

Wroxham were forced to make an early substitution when Nick Davey limped off, to be replaced by Jamie Forshaw. And two minutes later Mott was forced to come out of his goal to dive at the feet of Jack Garrod, who had made in good run through the middle.

George Purcell was a constant threat to the visitors, and his thirty yard volley was well saved by Elliot Pride.

Alex Bentley sent in a long range shot which Pride saved well, and when Kieron St Aimie fed the ball to Purcell, the shot was deflected over the bar for what most thought was a corner, although a goal kick was awarded.

Elliot Styles headed wide from a Joey May free kick, and a Purcell free kick was well saved by Pride as the pressure mounted, whilst Abs Thompson twice slipped over on the right wing as he overlapped to run on to passes from the ever dangerous Tambeson Eyong.

Jack Garrod became the only player to go into the referee’s book, a minute from half time, and it looked as though the first half would end goalless, until, in stoppage time, Kieron St Aimie played the ball to George Purcell, who gave Pride no chance with a hard drive from outside the area.

A minute into the second half Styles cleared a dangerous move on the left wing, and it was Styles who started the move which led to the second goal, when the ball was played out to the right wing, and George Purcell, seemingly in a difficult position and covered by defenders, found a way through and fired his shot past Pride and into the net.

Play became very one-way with Wroxham forced to defend as Hornchurch, inspired by Eyong, surged forward, and when Eyong went solo through the centre, he was thwarted by a fine save by Pride.

Purcell was fouled outside the area, and he took the free kick himself, which beat the wall but went wide of the far post.

It was a delighted Tambeson Eyong to scored the third goal when he took a pass from Joey May and ran through to glide the ball home, and although Mott made an excellent save two minutes later, diving to hold a hard long range shot from Joel Potter, the remainder of the match was little more than shooting practice for Hornchurch - Dave Collis fired high and very wide from thirty yards, and David Knight had two shots saved in quick succession as Hornchurch cruised through the rain to take the three points.