Falconbridge (pen) 50

Carshalton Athletic

AFC Hornchurch

CARSHALTON 1 HORNCHURCH 0
For the second week in succession the result hinged on an incorrectly awarded penalty. At Margate justice was done when the penalty was missed, but today it was converted, and Urchins, in command for most of the match, were denied the point they very much deserved.

Hornchurch kicked up the steep slope in the first half and into the teeth of a gale, but they almost took the lead in the first minute when Hunt took a pass from Michael Spencer, playing in his new role at midfield, and Michael played the ball back to Billy Coyne, whose centre was headed inches wide by Andy Tomlinson, when it seemed certain to go into the net. And then Michael Spencer made a solo run along the left, weaved past two defenders, and he hit his shot past Hamann, only for the ball to skim the far post. Carshalton were awarded a succession of free kicks, and all were taken by Beaney. From one of these, Paul Shave headed out to concede the first corner of the match, which Beaney also took – he took all the set pieces – and Fletcher cleared.

Another free kick from Beaney cannoned out off the wall of defenders, and then Billy Coyne was misheaded a centre out for a corner, taken by Beaney. Styles and Fletcher collided heavily as they cleared the ball, but both were able to resume after attention. A long throw into the gale by Billy Coyne was played back to Spencer, whose cross found Elliot Styles, whose header was well saved by Hamann. Richard Jolly had picked up the award for top scorer of the month at the start of the match and until now he had not been given much of the ball, but he showed how dangerous he can be when he quickly homed in on a loose ball to hit a powerful shot goalwards, and Behcet did well to make an instinctive save, to turn the ball over the bar. Beaney’s kick was taken just as the gale increased and the ball drifted harmlessly behind the goal.

A Hunt free kick found Antoine who fired the ball goalwards, and Graves headed away, whilst Beaney tried a long range shot at the other end which crashed into the handful of spectators behind the goal. Another Hunt free kick was punched away by Hamann as Antoine raced in, and the ball was punted away to Jolly, who sent it out to the left wing for Stevens, who low pull back into the goalmouth was well saved by Behcet. Antoine just failed to make contact with a Spencer cross, and a Billy Coyne free kick to Tomlinson saw Andy’s swerving centre punched away by Hamann.

Half time and the gale decreased somewhat and the pitch levelled out. Urchins almost took the lead in the first minute, when Andy Tomlinson’s cross almost eluded Hamann, who did well to hold the ball under the bar. And it was quickly back up the slope again, Goodfellow, playing at left back, finding Gray, who neatly flicked on to Michael Spencer, who was fouled. From the free kick Hunt saw his well directed ball into the goalmouth drift wide, with Paul Shave just failing to reach it. With Urchins dominant, Ronnie Fletcher dispossessed Beaney in Carshalton’s first attack of the half, only for the referee to award a penalty and book Fletcher in the process. The video replay showed conclusively that it was an incorrect decision, but we all knew that without the benefit of the video replay. But up stepped CRAIG FALCONBRIDGE to fire the ball home.

Urchins were clearly unhappy with the decision and they could have gone further behind when Beaney’s corner was headed on by Ray, and Billy Coyne headed off the line. Billy Coyne then went on a solo run down the right and his eventual shot was blocked by Gonsalves. Another Beaney corner was headed over by Graves, and hen a Gray pass out to Tomlinson saw the resulting cross drop to Jonathan Hunt whose first time shot hit a defender and was cleared. A Hunt free kick from near the half way line found Paul Shave whose header was deflected for a corner, which Hunt took, but Slatter cleared, the ball running back to Hunt to laid the ball out to Goodfellow, whose vicious shot was only inches wide.

Antoine headed a Tomlinson free kick goalwards and Hamann saved well, and Paul Shave headed wide from a massively long throw from Billy Coyne. Bostry Bensende came on but got little service on the right, and Kris Lee came on to make his first appearance of the season, and Kris nearly found the net with a powerful run in from the left, his shot hitting the side netting. Elliot Styles went close with a header from Tomlinson’s free kick, Honey deflecting the header around the post, and Hunt’s corner was played back to Gray and thence back to Hunt who had moved into the middle, and Hunt’s incredibly powerful first time shot brought a magnificent save from Hamann, who managed to turn the ball around the post. Hunt took the corner and this was headed out for another corner, also taken by Hunt, and this time Paul Shave rose above the defence but directed his header wide of the post.

Jon Green came on for Paul Shave, and another Hunt corner found Kris Lee whose overhead shot brought another excellent save from Hamann. But Hornchurch pressure left them open at the back, as everyone came forward, and Behcet made an excellent save when Falconbridge shot from close range. As Darren raced to take a goalkick he was inexplicably booked by the referee in the sixth minute of stoppage time, but he them played the ball to Fletcher who pumped it deep into the home half, where Jon Green was just beaten to the ball by an alert Hamann. Surprisingly, after all the time wasting and stoppages, only seven minutes were added on and it was a very relieved home side who gratefully accepted the final whistle, with Urchins still pounding forward in numbers.

Carshalton Athletic

AFC Hornchurch