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Ten man United throw it all away - 25/9/07

If ever a side contrived to snatch defeat from the jaws of victory, that side was United, on the occasion of their first ever visit to AFC Hornchurch this evening. Leading 2-1 in the fourth minute of added time, albeit against the run of play for much of the second half, United first conceded a sloppy equaliser to striker Harry Elmes, before allowing Mark Janney time and space in the penalty area to grab a dramatic winner almost straight from the restart, as the home side staged an astonishing comeback. United had looked by far the better side throughout the first half, and although Lee Carey's forty-fourth minute strike came from the first shot on goal at either end, there was little doubt that United deserved their interval advantage. But the home side showed far greater purpose after the resumption, levelling through Janney's penalty, after United skipper Sean Ray had been rightly red carded for an ill-judged professional foul. Russell Eldridge scored direct from an inswinging free kick near the touchline to restore United's lead, after which the hosts, who had been forced to use all three substitutes by half time, were also left a man short, when Ade Olorunda's rash lunge led to Elliot Styles leaving the field on a stretcher. But just when it looked like United were going to be able to celebrate their first away win of the season, Hornchurch struck their late double, to leave United empty-handed on their travels once again.

Nigel Kane made three changes to the side that drew at Harlow on Saturday, all in the midfield, where Russell was the only player to retain his place in the starting eleven. Lee was recalled to a central position, while Nima Cham started for the first time since the opening day defeat at Billericay, and Sam Adams came in on the right hand side, his first full ninety minutes since breaking a bone in his hand against Ashford a month ago. Dan Williams, Scott Kirkwood and Danny Ellis were all named amongst the substitutes, with United showing no overall changes in personnel from the weekend. AFC Hornchurch, last season's runaway Division One North champions, had made a decent start to their new Premier Division campaign and, but for the abandonment of their match at home to Staines on Saturday, might have gone into this game level on points with United. Their squad included two players, David Lee and Joe Keith, with significant Football League experience, while Janney had seen plenty of Conference playing time in his eight years with Dagenham & Redbridge, although it was less heralded substitute Simon Parker who would prove to have the key influence on the game. Left back Danny Glozier's dad Bob was a former United captain, in Peter Sillett's successful side of the early 1980s.

United played some good football during the opening forty-five minutes, passing the ball to feet and showing a keen commitment in the tackle, never allowing their hosts to settle on the ball. However, despite their apparent dominance, Russell's wayward second minute effort was all that United managed to show for their attacking efforts before Lee put them in front, as the home side coped stoically with the loss to injury of both right back Jordan Bostock and centre half Richard Goddard, the latter hospitalised after a nasty clash of heads with Ade, and the former unable to continue after challenge on Russell. It seemed to take an age for Hornchurch to get anywhere near United's penalty area, although Danny Spice generously decided to test Lee Worgan himself with a shocking backpass across the face of goal, but Jimmy Elford managed to scramble the ball away from danger. Rhys Whyborne later had to be alert to clear a dangerous left wing cross from Andy Tomlinson, but United eventually scored the goal that their endeavours had deserved in the closing stages of the half, as Rhys played the ball down the right hand side, Ade headed infield, and Tom Poole laid the ball into Lee Carey's path on the edge of the area to step inside Garry Cross and curl a low shot past keeper Dale Brightly. A lengthy period of added time simply resulted in more injury misery for Hornchurch, as striker Kris Lee suffered a hamstring problem, which led to Parker's introduction at the start of the second period.

After a relatively quiet first half, the two sides went on to serve up ninety minutes worth of entertainment in the second forty-five, with the home side in particular looking more dangerous as an attacking force after an abject earlier showing. Not for the first time this season, Lee Worgan's heroics kept United in the game at times, notably a fine scrambling block to deny Parker from Glozier's deep cross within five minutes of the restart. Lee then safely gathered Janney's weak cross after a surging run into the area, and followed up with another smart save from Parker, after the substitute held off Jimmy's challenge to run onto David Lee's long through ball. The substitute's next sight of goal proved to be a more pivotal moment though, Glozier's long ball glancing off Danny's head and sending Parker clean through into the area, where he was upended by Sean's injudicious tackle from behind that resulted in an obvious sending off and a clear penalty, which Janney comfortably tucked away to level the scores. That should probably have been the game's turning point, and may well have been had Lee not kept out Keith's shot shortly afterwards, but United suddenly stunned their hosts by retaking the lead in the seventy-second minute. Moments after taking exception to an abusive remark from the home dugout, the referee awarded United a cheap free kick for a foul on Sam down the right flank, Russell whipping the ball in towards the near post, and Brightly allowing it to evade his grasp and cross the line under pressure from Danny Spice. A couple of minutes later, United were almost handed a third goal on a platter, when Cross attempted a pass back to Brightly, without first checking on his position, managing only to knock the ball past the stranded keeper and just wide of the upright, with Russell not quite able to prevent it from running out of play. Lee's ensuing corner was nodded down by Ade for substitute Dan Williams to fire over the bar and what was to prove United's last chance to perhaps make the game safe was lost. That said, with ten minutes remaining, Hornchurch were struggling to make their man advantage count, and it took Ade's two footed tackle on Styles, for which he was lucky to escape without even a word from the referee, to belatedly galvanise the now ten man hosts into action. Initial attempts from David Lee, Parker and Lee again were all off target, but Lee Worgan then saved superbly from Elmes as the game entered stoppage time, with David Lee again blazing over from the rebound. Cross then miskicked from a dangerous centre by Janney, with Parker hooking the loose ball over the bar, and it looked increasingly likely that United would survive the onslaught, but with the clock approaching the ninety-fourth minute mark, Tomlinson delivered a cross from the left, which Lee Carey and Rhys both failed to clear, and Elmes was on hand to fire home the loose ball. Then, less than sixty seconds later, United's misery was compounded when Hornchurch grabbed their third following a move down the right hand side, passes exchanged between Parker and Janney, whose first time shot was brilliantly saved by Lee, only for the same player to react quickest to dispatch the rebound for an unlikely, last gasp winner.

United now face another stern test of character if they are to recover from the psychological effects of such a defeat, although in reality, they ought to be able to take plenty of positives from the contest, especially their first half performance. But every away match without a win puts more pressure on United's thus far unblemished home league record, which will be challenged on Saturday in a rearranged Pilot Field meeting with East Thurrock United.

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AFC Hornchurch (4-4-2)							Hastings United (4-4-2)
1 Dale Brightly							1 Lee Worgan
2 Jordan Bostock							2 Danny Spice
3 Danny Glozier							3 Jimmy Elford
4 John Purdie (c)							4 Rhys Whyborne
5 Richard Goddard							5 Sean Ray (c)
6 Andy Tomlinson							6 Nima Cham
7 Garry Cross							7 Sam Adams
8 Mark Janney							8 Lee Carey
9 Kris Lee							9 Ade Olorunda
10 Harry Elmes							10 Tom Poole
11 David Lee							11 Russell Eldridge
Substitutes
12 Simon Parker (for K Lee 45)							12 Scott Kirkwood
14 Amos Foyewa							14 Danny Ellis (for Olorunda 90)
15 Shane Oakley							15 Dan Williams (for Poole 65)
16 Elliot Styles (for Bostock 21)							16 John Bradley
17 Joe Keith (for Goddard 29)							17 Kevin Rose

Attendance 330

Referee Mr G Evetts

Assistants Messrs K English & K Stone