FA Challenge Cup - 2nd Qualifying Round
2nd October 2004
	Harwich & Parkeston	0 - 3	Hornchurch
		H/T 0-3 Att:410	Purser 2', Matthews 7', Neale (og) 18'

Match Highlights

Harwich & Parkeston

Hornchurch

	2	GOAL - Purser
	7	GOAL - Matthews
	18	GOAL - Neale (og)
	33	OFF - Matthews ON - Martin
	45	OFF - Jackson ON - Sigere OFF - Purser ON - Shipp
Springett - BOOKED	53
May - BOOKED	57
Lyness - OFF Brannon - ON	73
Calver - BOOKED	74
Springett - OFF Griggs - ON English - OFF Kershaw - ON	83

An indication both of the great strides the club has made in the last few years and the difference in levels between the two teams came with a phone call from a Harwich press man enquiring as to whether we would field a full strength side in this game.

Although the idea of resting certain players may have been tempting for many managers, Garry Hill was having none of it.  Harwich's slim chance of winning this game would have rested on some staunch defending and perhaps an early goal but even this plan was scuppered when we took the lead after 2 minutes.  A Darren Caskey free-kick from wide on the left was glanced home by Wayne Purser amongst a crowd of players from 6 yards.  Five minutes later and we were 2-0 up, Lee Matthews this time, heading in from close range from another well directed Caskey free-kick.  Simon Weatherstone clipped the bar with a 20 yard shot a minute later and Purser robbed a defender on the half-way line and ran into the penalty area in the 16th minute and shot into the side-netting.  The 18th minute was when, after earlier claiming my free £10 bet after opening an account with Skybet, I began to wish that I had wagered a considerably larger sum on the result of this game as Harwich's Lee Neale rather spectacularly headed into his own net after some good work and a cross in from Steve Clark on the left.  Any neutrals hoping to see a giant-killing may have considered going elsewhere.

Purser curled a shot wide from the corner of the area in the 20th minute and Caskey hit the post with an effort from 20 yards 5 minutes later, but Harwich began to put some good moves together and 2 minutes before half time Ashley Bayes had some work to do, diving to his left to save from Micheal Lyness.

We came close to extending our lead 3 minutes into the second half when Caskey once again hit the crossbar from a free kick from 20 yards and Lee Elam shot into the side-netting in the 52nd minute.  A great saving tackle from Harwich's Michael Murphy denied Danny Shipp a minute later and keeper Nathan Munson did well to save from a similar effort from Jean-Michel Sigere in the 56th minute.With all credit to them, Harwich were still full of running and began to play some confident passing football with Ritchie Meadows giving the home support some hope in the 65th minute with a fine effort from a wide position which flashed across the goal.  A great double save from Munson kept out an effort from Weatherstone and the follow-up from Shipp with less than ten minutes to go and at the end Harwich came so close to a consolation goal when the hit the post from a quickly taken free-kick.

Video Highlights by Rob

- 2 mins - Wayne Purser gives us a very early lead (420KB)
- 7 mins - Lee Matthews makes it 2-0 (430KB)
- 18 mins - An own goal completes the scoring (430KB)

  Teams

Harwich & Parkeston Nathan Munson Michael Murphy Robbie May Mitchell Springett Kevin Hughes Lee Neale Martin Calver Michael Lyness Ritchie Meadows Tom English Jimmy Chatters SUBS Tom Brannon Ian Kershaw Ricky Griggs - -

- 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 * 12 14 15 16 17

Hornchurch Ashley Bayes Scott Gooding Jamie Stuart Lee Matthews Paul McCarthy Simon Weatherstone Lee Elam Darren Caskey Kirk Jackson Wayne Purser Steve Clark SUBS John Martin Simon Wormull Danny Shipp Jean-Michel Sigere James Pullen

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