HORNCHURCH 3 BOGNOR REGIS 0
With Wayne Gray joining Grays, and Andy Tomlinson suspended following his farcical red card at Aveley, Ronnie Fletcher and Duane Jackman came into the starting line up, with Soz Yao and Michael Bowditch coming into the squad. After two inspections the pitch was declared playable, which was a relief to the two supporters who had made the journey down from Wigan. Hornchurch kicked towards the windmill end and almost took a first minute lead when Duane Jackman moved in from the left and was tackled by Grant Hall, who conceded a corner. Jonathan Hunt floated the ball over and Jamie Dormer tried a spectacular overhead kick which was well saved by Andrej Pernecky. Bognor made two tentative moves upfield and a shot from Charlie Oatway was comfortably saved by Darren Behcet, who then equally comfortably dealt with a free kick from Hall.
A Hunt free kick found Elliot Styles whose header was tipped onto and over the bar by Pernecky, although a goal kick was awarded instead of the anticipated corner. It was Darren Behcet who kept Urchins over level terms with a remarkable save when he threw himself sideways to tip Oatway’s shot around the post, and Darren then rose to catch the corner from Richard Hudson. A long ball by Mark Goodfellow send Jo Flack speeding away and Pernecky saved well to keep the ball out, and a Mark Janney run saw his centre fall nicely to Duane Jackman whose header skimmed the post. Janney then rounded Mickey Demetriou to centre for Hunt whose shot brought another good save from Pernecky.
A Hunt free kick was saved by Pernecky and then Janney cruised past two defenders to crash his shot against the post, the ball rebounding to Jackman whose follow up shot was saved by an in form Pernecky. Jackman again went close when he ran to a long ball from Ronnie Fletcher, but it was Bognor who could have taken the lead, but for two incredible saves inside three seconds by Darren Behcet, who threw himself to his left when Jack Clarke had set up Oatway for a close range shot at goal, and then Darren dived the other way to keep out Jason Prior’s follow up shot. From the resulting corner, taken by Richard Hudson, Billy Coyne played the ball safety away.
Hornchurch thought they had taken the lead when Hunt’s long ball found Duane Jackman who raced in from the left, rounded keeper Pernecky, only for the ball to stick in the heavy surface and Clarke raced back to clear off the line. But with Urchins now storming forward they were not to be denied, and when Duane Jackman again broke through he was pulled down for a penalty. Up stepped JONATHAN HUNT whose right footed shot crashed home. A minute later Jo Flack hammered a shot against the post and almost on half time Flack set up Jamie Dormer whose shot sped inches past the post.
Hornchurch could have increased their lead within a minute of the restart when Janney crossed to Michael Spencer whose goal bound shot was blocked by a defender, and Bognor had a half chance when Hudson’s free kick was deflected by Billy Coyne for a corner. Bognor introduced two substitutes before the corner could be taken but Fletcher cleared the ball as it came over. A Jackman run ended with a good tackle by Hall to concede a corner, and Hunt flighted the ball into the goalmouth where Fletcher went close with his header. Jackman then gathered a loose ball in midfield and slipped a pass inside to Jo Flack whose shot was well saved by Pernecky.
And then Jackman was again felled in the area. The linesman immediately signalled a penalty and this signalled the self destruct for Bognor. Remember Lewis Ide? He was the one who escaped a red card in the match at Bognor after a very late and mistimed tackle on Andy Tomlinson. This time he earned a red card when he appeared to dispute the decision with the referee. Captain Michael Birmingham followed him into the book, and several other Bognor players appeared eager to join them in the book, and two minutes after the penalty was awarded JONATHAN HUNT calmly stepped up to fire a left footed shot into the net.
Darren Behcet was now a spectator as Urchins swarmed all over the visitors. A Flack shot went out for a corner and Hunt found Elliot Styles whose header went narrowly over the bar. Flack then sent Jackman away and Duane’s shot cannoned back off the post, and was played out for a corner. Hunt sent the ball over and Pernecky tipped the ball over for another corner and this time Hunt’s kick was punched clear. Behcet easily caught a Hudson corner and then it was back to the other end where Jackman took a pass from Hunt, made ground and played the ball out to the right where MARK JANNEY came in to hammer the ball home.
Ben Boyce, Soz Yao and Jonathan Spencer came on, and a Hunt pass to Jackman saw Duane’s shot turned over the bar by Pernecky for another corner. Janney hit a shot inches wide in another penetrating run from the right, and Pernecky saved well when Michael Spencer raced to meet another Hunt corner. Yet another Hunt corner was scrambled clear and despite incessant pressure Bognor held out to keep the score down to just here goals. But it could have been very different had not Darren Behcet made those two remarkable saves in the first half.
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