Ryman League Division One North
Saturday 7th April 2007
	Wivenhoe Town	0 - 1	AFC Hornchurch
		H/T 0-0 Att: 245	S Parker 49'

Match Highlights

Wivenhoe Town

AFC Hornchurch

	29	BOOKED - Tomlinson
	33	BOOKED - Cross
	47	OFF - Glozier ON - Styles
	49	GOAL - S Parker
Street - BOOKED	58
Clark - OFF Bourne - ON	75	OFF - Cross ON - Foyewa
Browne - BOOKED	78
	79	OFF - Janney ON - Southon
Browne - BOOKED	81
Rymer - BOOKED	90

Match Report by Tony Middleton

At 2pm the local residents must have been fed up with the number of cars turning into their driveway – the wrong postcode for Wivenhoe FC was the reason, and it fooled the SatNav. Danny Glozier back in the starting line up, with several number changes to reflect the line up in the programme. This time last year it was a derelict stand at Southend Manor which witnessed the champions winning the league. This year it was two derelict stands at Wivenhoe – one on the far side of the ground which was boarded off and almost falling to pieces, and the other was the old stand to the right of the new main stand, which was sans toit.

Over 200 Urchins helped to make this one of Wivenhoe’s best crowds of the season, and what a start for the visitors – Glozier to Janney , on to Parker, who turned and sent over a dangerous cross which was headed away by Nethercott. Back came the ball and Parker’s shot was well saved by Sanders. Back again, this time to Glozier and his cross was touched on by Kris Lee to Tomlinson whose shot was cleared by Stace. Glozier took a pass from McFarlane and powered down the left, where he was fouled by Nethercott and the free kick reached Kris lee , who touched back to Cross, Sanders again saving well.

Urchins continued to move forward, Janney and Parker exchanging passes before Nethercott managed to clear, wildly over his own cross bar for a corner. Ryan Lee floated the kick over and Sanders did well to hold on just under the bar. Wivenhoe, until then concentrating on defending, then took advantage of a slip by Ryan Lee which let in Dan Ringer, who looked certain to score, but he put his shot wide of the goal as Brightly recovered well to put him off his aim. Then Kris Lee almost broke through on the left, until Calver tackled, and although Ryan Lee took up the running, he could not pick anyone out in the middle. A badly mistimed header from Janney gave away a corner, which Parmenter took and the ball was hammered goalwards through a mass of players, with Brightly making a magnificent save, the ball being promptly played back again, and Brightly diving to make his second incredible save in a matter of seconds, to push the ball around the post, and then Dale punched the corner kick clear which Parmenter swerved towards the goal.

But Wivenhoe came back well, with Rymer finding an unmarked and very dangerous Browne, whose shot went across the face of the goal. Parker won a ball in midfield and eluded three tackles to slip the ball to Janney, whose centre was turned out for a corner, which Ryan Lee took and which was backheaded by McFarlane, and then out for another corner, which this time was headed away by Stace. Two highly dubious bookings in a row both created danger for Hornchurch, when first Tomlinson was booked for an innocuous tackle and Shepherd’s well flighted free kick was headed over the bar. Then it was Cross who was booked, to the annoyance of the 200 plus Urchins in the crowd, who had just seen three home tackles all ignored, and this time it was McFarlane who headed away. Purdie out to Ryan Lee, whose long range shot was close but not close enough, and then Glozier slotted through to Parker, with Parmenter tackling to concede the corner, taken by Ryan Lee and well held by Sanders. Ryman was then played clear by Browne, with Purdie tackling well, and a free kick from Shepherd was headed over by Stace. Almost on half time, Tomlinson, Janney and Purdie all combined to give Parker an opening, his shot being headed away.

Plenty to talk about at half time, with phone calls being made to Harlow and Sudbury, and with the Urchins travelling support all beginning to think that the championship was almost there. Many wanted to know what the blue markings on the pitch were for, it turned out that a local American football team, the Colchester Gladiators, had played a match the previous day. Styles on for Glozier two minutes into the second half, and it was Styles whose header on to Kris Lee really started the celebrations, for Kris Lee neatly chipped the ball on to SIMON PARKER, who in turn chipped the keeper and it was one up to the champions. Cue hysteria on the East Side. On a ground used for American football it was no surprise a minute later when Fletcher’s long free kick was well handled by the local quarter back. What was a surprise though was that the referee awarded a corner instead of the blatant penalty. Ryan Lee took the corner, the ball was played back to Ryan and this time his centre was backheaded by McFarlane, and Sanders saved on the line.

Kris Lee then cut in from the left and Sanders dived to save, whilst at the other end Purdie’s excellent tackle to stop Rymer was pulled back by the referee for a free kick. The wall was lined up wrongly, and Browne hammered in a shot which cannoned back off the bar, Tomlinson completing the clearance. A free kick by Styles was well held by Sanders, under pressure from McFarlane, and then at the other end, Rymer created an opening for Browne whose shot cleared the bar, cleared the car park, cleared the houses and the ball was last seen heading in a vertical direction towards Colchester. With Wivenhoe playing well above their league standing, a free kick from Shepherd found an unmarked Ringer, who managed to hit his shot wide of the goal, whilst a Cross pass to Parker almost led to the second Urchins goal, Simon’s shot being well saved by a diving Sanders, for a corner, which Tomlinson took and Calver cleared.

Wivenhoe came forward, a long kick forcing Dale Brightly to rush out of his area to head away, with Browne’s hurried follow up shot going wide. Urchins regained control of the midfield, Ryan Lee neatly playing through to Tomlinson and he in turn picked out Cross, whose shot was cannoned off a defender. On came Amos Foyewa, and his first touch saw him sprawling headlong from a mistimed tackle by Parmenter. Brightly took the free kick and the ball fell to Foyewa, who blazed his shot over the bar and out of the ground.

Browne was booked for a foul on Janney who had run through from Ryan Lee’s pass, and though the free kick found Parker, his shot was blocked by the wall of defenders. Foyewa embarked on one of this long weaving runs which took him past three defenders and his shot was saved by Sanders. Browne, booked only two minutes earlier, was again yellow carded for a mistimed tackle, and from Janney’s free kick the ball was chipped to McFarlane whose header was glanced wide of the post. Southon then slotted through to Ryan Lee, and thence to Foyewa, who cut in from the right and saw his low cross shot saved at the foot of the post by Sanders. Wivenhoe nearly conceded an own goal when Ringer misheaded past his own post, and Foyewa’s corner was cleared upfield as the whistle went for time. Thirty matches undefeated. Champions. It took some ten minutes before the pitch was finally clear, and who was the last to leave the pitch? – It was Harry.
 

  Teams

Wivenhoe Town Ollie Sanders Jeff Shepherd Martin Calver Matt Stace Stuart Nethercott (c) Dan Ringer Steve Parmenter Gareth Street Stafford Browne Terry Rymer Jamie Clark SUBS Neil Gregory Steve Bourne Barry Bethell Lee Townrow -

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

AFC Hornchurch Dale Brightly Ron Fletcher Danny Glozier John Purdie (c) Jim McFarlane Garry Cross Mark Janney Andy Tomlinson Kris Lee Simon Parker Ryan Lee SUBS Elliot Styles Jamie Southon Dave Sadler Amos Foyewa Ainsley Gasper

Man of the Match Nominated by ...

Weather Conditions:  14 degrees, sunny. Wind speed 5mph.

Match Officials: I Fissenden with N Bond and C Mackrow

Match Duration: First half 45mins 33secs. Second half 48mins 4secs.

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