FA Cup 1st Preliminary Round
East Thurrock United 2 v 2 AFC Hornchurch (ETU win 4-3 on penalties)
A PULSATING FA Cup that ebbed and flowed on a misty September evening was finally decided on a miss-hit penalty late in the night that proved the fine margin between two well-matched sides.
Over four ties in the last two season you could barely slot a cigarette paper between the teams and once more, on Tuesday, this was a fierce and closely fought contest.
East Thurrock made the brighter start and a well worked set piece provided an opportunity to Lewis Smith to lash an angled shot goalwards but keeper Sam Mott reacted well to save and, as is often the way, Hornchurch broke quickly and grabbed the night’s opening goal on four minutes, a long ball forward causing uncertainty and allowing George Purcell the opportunity to nip between defence and goalkeeper and bundle the ball through the onrushing stopper, David Hughes, into the net.
That sparked a spell of sustained Hornchurch pressure but East Thurrock weathered the storm and drew level on 27 minutes when Lewis Smith was adjudged to have been fouled as he jinked his way through a packed defence. It looked a very generous decision by ref Dave Bushell but Rocks were in no mood to look a gift horse in the mouth and Sam Higgins converted the spot-kick, albeit without his usual thunderous certainty.
The game flowed freely after that, with half chances at both ends through the remaining hour, but no-one was able to find a decisive touch until the 64th minute when Martin Tuohy rose in the box and drifted a clever header past Hughes.
For the third time in the tie Hornchurch were ahead, but once again it didn’t take Rocks long to peg them back, with some neat interplay ending with David Bryant firing past Mott just seven minutes later.
As the second half drew to a close both defences were stretched at times, with East Thurrock’s Ben Wood outstanding at the back for his side as he dealt with probing balls and shepherded his teammates to defend a series of long throws.
The impetus was marginally with Hornchurch for a while but the replacement of Tuohy by Elyon Marshall Katung took away a focal point and in the closing stages it was East Thurrock who threatened more. But no more goals were to be forthcoming and extra time arrived with nerves fraught in both camps.
The best chance of the first added period fell to sub Reece Harris but he scooped a shot over the bar, having appeared to have done all the hard work.
In the second period a strike by Rocks’ Nicky Symons brought a dive and extended finger-tip save from Sam Mott and after Dave Bryant squared the rebound it seemed Higgins was a certainty to tap the ball into an empty net but the opportunity was squandered.
Hornchurch then had a glorious chance to win it by Frank Curley opted for power rather than placement as he jinked into a shooting position and the ball rose over the bar and the lottery that is a penalty shoot-out soon followed.
Higgins set the example with the first kick, thundering the ball into the net in marked contrast to his earlier effort, but Purcell matched him with an equally convincing strike.
Hornchurch old boy Smith, a target for derision from the visiting fans all evening, stepped up for Rocks’ second but his strike lacked conviction and Mott dived to push it to one side. Converted efforts by Elyon Marshall Katung for the Urchins and Ross Parmenter for East Thurrock left Hornchurch with the initiative but keeper Hughes brought parity with a save to keep out Tobi Joseph’s strike.
Tom Stephen and Reece Harris scored convincingly for Rocks, as did Alex Bentley for Hornchurch, which heaped the pressure on Junior Dadson for the final kick of the designated first ten and he cracked – blazing the ball high over the bar to start the East Thurrock celebrations and send them on the way to a second qualifying round meeting with fellow Ryman Premier side Met Police, who beat South Park 3-0 in their replay.
