So it was FA Cup 4th Qualifying Round day on Saturday and I was at Meadow Park to see if AFC Hornchurch could spring a surprise on Boreham Wood and make it through to the 1st Round Proper.
The hosts were in the lower reaches of the National League after a difficult start to the season and were also under new management following the departure of long term boss Ian Allison. AFC Hornchurch meanwhile were flying high in the Ryman North, some three divisions below their hosts, but were hoping to cause an upset and heap more misery on the Hertfordshire side.
We didn’t have to wait too long for the first talking point of the contest either as on six minutes the hosts were awarded a penalty after Connor Clifford was alleged to have been bundled over inside the box although it looked a harsh on the visitors if truth be told. Anyway after the Urchins complaints to the referee finished keeper Mott dived to his rigth to save Billy Clifford‘s spot kick and the tie remained scoreless.
The hosts threatened again on the quarter hour mark when a cross into the Urchins box saw Mcdonald head wide although he was stretching full length for it and just could not redirect his header on target. A minute later and the visitors should of taken the lead it what was a warning to the hosts as Knight received the ball in acres of space inside the box but the ball got caught under his feet and he could only hit the effort wide of the target.
On 20 minutes Macdonald tested the urchins keeper Mott again before seeing the rebound scrambled away and this began a period of pressure from the hosts on the visitors defence as they looked to get their noses in front. On 32 minutes a ball was laid back to Kamdjo whose strike from range saw Mott get down and save the shot and then four minutes later Macdonald thought he had given Wood the lead but after slotting home saw the flag already up for offside, much to the hosts disgust.
Wood would have been feeling slightly aggrieved not to be ahead in the tie by this stage after having a penalty saved and a goal ruled out for offside but eight minutes before the break they did finally break through a stubborn Urchins defence when cross from the left found Mustafa Tiryaki who volley home a first time spectacularly for the hosts and give Wood the lead they probably deserved.Boreham Wood 1 AFC Hornchurch 0.
The visitors tried to reply before half time and five minutes before the break a great strike from Purcell saw an excellent save from keeper Edwards, tipping behind for corner to keep his side in the lead, a lead they held going into the break.
Half Time Boreham Wood 1 AFC Hornchurch 0
The Urchins saw a shot deflected over early in the second half and then on 51 minutes visiting full back Coyne burst onto a loose ball from the hosts and drove at the box but dragged his shot wide of the post. The Urchins had certainly come out with intent in the half though.
Ten minutes into the half good play from the hosts saw Tiryaki force a decent near post stop from Mott before the visitors put more pressure on the Wood defence as Purcell shifted past a defender inside the box before blasting over with his left foot. Just past the hour mark a Billy Clifford free kick to the visitors back post was headed straight at Mott by giant Wood centre half Stephens as the hosts were still looking dangerous up front.
With twenty minutes left Wood broke out from an Urchins attack through Jeffreys down the left hand side and he squared the ball to Connor Clifford whose weak effort was easy for keeper Mott. Three minutes later an error in the Urchins defence saw Macdonald in but his lob over Mott landed on the roof of the net.
The visitors were still shading the half though and were having a lot of the ball but just had no end product when they got into the final third, which is normally what they are good at. With eight minutes left a cross into the visitors box was headed over by Tiryaki, who was most certainly Wood’s biggest threat in this game, before the Urchins attacked again two minutes later when Joseph went on a threatening run before the ball eventually fell to Luke who fired miles over as the Urchins failed to test the hosts keeper yet again.
Time was running out now for Hornchurch to find a leveller and as the game entered the six minutes of stoppage time Wood almost sealed it when Morias found himself in on goal after a counter attack but his eventual effort was snuffed out and Jeffreys couldn’t convert the rebound. However just a minute later Wood did seal the tie when another break out saw Anthony Jeffreys slot home past Mott and surely send the hosts through to the next round. It was tough on the Urchins had had been the better side in the second half. Boreham Wood 2 AFC Hornchurch 0.
The visitors didn’t throw in the towel just yet though and continued to pressure the back line of Wood and won a free kick right on the edge of the box in the sixth minute of stoppage time and sawGeorge Purcell blast home the free kick past an unsighted Edwards and give the visitors seconds to grab an unlikely equaliser. Boreham Wood 2 AFC Hornchurch 1.
And from the last play of the game the Urchins attacked dangerously again down the right through Knight who drove into the box and sent a dangerous ball into the middle of the area which was only just cleared by a panicking Wood defence. This was the last rights though as the referee blew his whistle to end a gutsy display from the visitors although they came up just short against their National League opponents.
Full Time Boreham Wood 2 AFC Hornchurch 1
No comments:
Post a Comment