Westview Cup 3rd Round
Tuesday 10th October 2005
	Heybridge Swifts	3 - 2	AFC Hornchurch
Francis 21', Cousins 38' Gregory 64'		H/T 2-1 Att: 143	Gasper 33', 90+5'

Match Highlights

Heybridge Swifts

AFC Hornchurch

Francis - GOAL	21
	33	GOAL - Gasper
	36	BOOKED - Brightly
Cousins - GOAL	38
Goodwin - BOOKED	43
	58	SENT OFF - Purdie
Gregory - GOAL	64
Cousins - OFF Wiles - ON	64
Goodwin - OFF Shinn - ON	68	OFF - McFarlane ON - Bostock
	72	OFF - Wareham ON - Lee
Chandler - OFF Pond - ON	76
	78	BOOKED - Tomlinson
	90+2	OFF - Styles ON - Huckle
	90+5	GOAL - Gasper

Match Report by Tony Middleton

At 7 pm there was an immense traffic snarl up in Maldon as one hundred Urchins all tried vainly to find where Scraley Road was located – never has the petrol station done so much business, answering the same question time and again – ‘where am I. Where’s the ground’. Jean Paul Sartre would have written an entire book on it. Into the car park – incredible directions from the sole steward – ‘back, back, back, five feet to go, four, three, two, - STOP STOP STOP – too late’. The match started at 7.30 as the local residents apparently do not like the floodlights - nor did anyone else at the ground – a few more powerful bulbs would be a bonus.

Urchins, with very much of an experimental starting line up, began in style, Dave Collins hammering in a hard drive in the first minute, Bowyer fumbling, and Simon Parker seeing his follow up cleared off the line when it looked a certain goal. Then i9t was Tomlinson out to Fletcher but his centre went behind the goal. Swifts were rarely in the game at that stage, although a good run by Francis brought Brightley into action to save the somewhat weak shot. Collins, at left half, was looking good, and it was his pass which set Styles up to in turn play the ball through to Tiffin, whose cross was fumbled by Bowyer and gathered at the second attempt. A hard drive from Parker skimmed the bar and then McFarlane headed away from a Barber corner, whilst a high cross by Reddaway was deflected out for another corner, which Barber took again and Fletcher headed powerfully away.

On 21 minutes Swifts went ahead, when a lack on concentration in defence allowed GIANNI FRANCIS a free shot at goal. Following a good build up involving Collins and Tomlinson, Wareham hit a shot narrowly wide of the post, and Collins then sent Gasper away, and Ainsley found Wareham whose shot was well saved by Bowyer. Bowyer failed to hold a hard shot from Collins, but there was no one to follow up the loose ball, and Chandler gratefully hammered it upfield. And then Urchins levelled the score, when Collin’s shot was fumbled, and AINSLEY GASPER reacted the quickest to follow up and touch the ball over the line. Collins again, this time hitting in a hard shot with his right foot – all other touches had been left footed – and Bowyer saved well. At the other end, Brightley ran well out of his area and needlessly conceded a free kick, and a yellow card – fortunately it happened in a part of the ground where there were no home supporters to tell the referee what colour card to wave – and from the free kick IAN COUSINS took advantage of a motionless defence to head home.

Two one down at the interval, the main talking point was the chalk markings on the touchlines – or, more to the point, the lack of them. Urchins were losing but had only themselves to blame, as poor defensive work was to blame for both goals. Second half started well, with Greg Tiffin hitting the post and Parker’s follow up being cleared off the line. Then a minute later Gasper was played through by Wareham and failed to take advantage of a great chance, with only Bowyer to beat, but the keeper saved well. Burrell forced Brightley into a good save at the other end, and then followed two corners in succession, both by Barber and both headed out, first by McFarlane and then by Purdie. A Collins free kick was touched over for a corner, and Collins took the corner but it was too short and a wasted opportunity. And then came the turning point in the match. Purdie conceded a free kick, and the referee was 40 yards away and had not the faintest idea what had happened. The linesman flagged as only a linesman can, and a long discussion followed, with about twenty home supporters joining in loudly. The officials seemed not to know if it was Purdie or Tomlinson but the referee eventually correctly decided it was Purdie and waved a red card – whether a correct decision on not is very debateable – opinions were evenly divided on this one – but surely the match officials should not allow themselves to be influenced by the crowd.

The free kick was well saved by Brightley, only for a re-take to be ordered, and this too was saved. A Barber corner came to nothing, and then the defence, still at sea following the sending off, was caught wide open and ANDY GREGORY slotted the ball home following a good build up. Swifts had the better of the play for a time, but the introduction of Jordan at the back and Kris Lee up front made a big difference, although chances were wasted by Tiffin and Gasper, both shots being saved by Bowyer. Lee created a lot more openings on the left and from one of these Gasper’s drive was deflected inches round the post for a corner, which Collins took, and which in turn led to two more corners, both again being taken by Collins, before the ball was finally crossed by Tiffin and Lee headed just inches over the bar. John Huckle came on for his debut appearance at left back, looking very assured, and in the fifth minute of stoppage time it was AINSLEY GASPER at last with a good shot which appeared to take a slight deflection en route, but there was not enough time to get what would have been a deserved equaliser, in a match which turned around a red card decision by a referee who was nowhere near the play at the time.

Video clips by Rob Monger
- 21mins. Gianni Francis gives the home side the lead
- 33mins. Ainsley Gasper equalises
- 38mins. Ian Cousins heads the home side back in front
- 64mins. Andy Gregory makes it 3-1
- 90+5 mins. Ainsley Gasper pulls a goal back

  Teams

Heybridge Swifts Jamie Bowyer Artem Erdem Ian Cousins (c) Danny Barber Dean Chandler Phillip Goodwin Adam Gregory Adam Gillespie Gianni Francis Mark Reddaway Gary Burrell SUBS Michael Shinn Craig Hudgell Ian Wiles Russell Pone -

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

AFC Hornchurch Dale Brightly Ron Fletcher Elliott Styles John Purdie (c) Jim McFarlane Dave Collins Greg Tiffin Andy Tomlinson Ainsley Gasper Simon Parker Ross Wareham SUBS Kris Lee John Wightman Jordan Bostock Danny Glozier John Huckle

Man of the Match Nominated by ...

Weather Conditions:  Slight mist. 16 degrees.

Match Officials: G Jordan with M Cook and D Cook

Match duration: First half 45mins 25secs. Second half 50mins 5secs
 

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