Ryman League Division 1 North
09/04/2007
AFC Hornchurch		2 - 1	Canvey Island
Janney (78p), K Lee (85)		H/T: 1 - 0 Att: 751	Halle (79)
Teams
1	Dale Brightly		1	Ricky Wiseman
2	Ron Fletcher		2	Andrew West
3	Elliot Styles		3	Jon Stuart
4	John Purdie (c)		4	Colin Wall
5	Jim McFarlane		5	Dave Kreyling (c)
6	Jamie Southon (Off 68)		6	Clydie Roberts
7	Garry Cross		7	Richard Halle
8	Mark Janney		8	Ryan Edgar
9	Dave Sadler (Off 55)		9	John Curran
10	Simon Parker (Off 55)		10	Lee Jay
11	Andy Tomlinson		11	Chris Bourne (Off 69)
Subs			Subs
12	Amos Foyewa (On 55)		12	Matt Reade (On 69)
14	Kris Lee (On 55)		14	George Blewer
15	Ainsley  Gasper		15	Mitchell Lowes
16	Ryan Lee (On 68)		16	Stuart Batch
17	Adam Parker		17	Glen Johnson

Match Report

Canvey Island produced a spirited display as they went down 2-1 to newly crowned Ryman Division One North champions AFC Hornchurch at Bridge Avenue. Hornchurch had won the league on Saturday and were being presented with the league trophy straight after the game but Canvey nearly ruined the party with a hardworking display that deserved to yield at least a point. Despite having just Jay Curran as their only recognised striker on the pitch, it was Canvey who shaded a tight contest but Hornchurch’s sharper finishing was to prove their undoing.

The first half saw neither side really get on top. Hornchurch had the greater possession but despite the intelligent promptings of former Gulls’ trialist Mark Janney in midfield, Canvey’s defensive trio of Colin Wall, Dave Kreyling and Jon Stuart kept a tight reign on the Urchins’ front-men Simon Parker and Dave Sadler. Garry Cross headed over from an Elliott Styles’ cross but Ricky Wiseman was rarely tested in the Canvey goal.

It was Dale Brightly who had to make the first save of the match, turning away a low driven free kick from Richard Halle for a corner on 32 minutes. Moments later and Canvey put the Urchins’ defence under pressure from a corner but firstly the effort was cleared off the line and then Wall’s shot was blocked and eventually cleared.

At half time it would have been the Canvey fans in a crowd of just over 750 that would have been the happier. Many of them didn’t arrive to 25 minutes into the game due to coach and traffic problems but the Yellow Army were in good voice at the start of the second half as their team started to ask a few questions of the Hornchurch defence.

Andrew West tested Brightly with a powerful drive that the keeper fielded well. Moments later Brightly had to be sharp to beat Lee Jay to a long ball. Then on 56 minutes the industrious Jay Curran beat Brightly to a long high ball but Jon Purdie was on hand to clear the danger.
With Canvey starting to get on top, Hornchurch replaced Parker and Sadler with Kris Lee and Amos Foyewa. Foyewa’s pace and direct running started to cause the Canvey defence a few problems. A corner involving Andy Tomlinson and Cross saw Foyewa test Wiseman with a shot.
On 74 minutes, a mistake by Halle was latched on to by Foyewa. The Hornchurch forward burst down the right wing but under pressure from Stuart volleyed his shot too high and wide.

Canvey replaced Chris Bourne with Matt Reade and Reade nearly made an instant impact on 76 minutes. Latching on to a knock down in the penalty area from a free kick, Reade’s chip seemed to be dropping under the crossbar until Jimmy McFarlane headed the ball away for a corner.

On 78 minutes Hornchurch went in front from the penalty spot. Wall was rather harshly judged to have pushed Foyewa in the penalty area and up stepped Janney to send Wiseman the wrong way and give Hornchurch the lead.

Minutes later and Canvey provided the perfect response levelling with a superb equaliser. Ryan Edgar was fouled on the edge of the area and up stepped Richard Halle to drive the ball through a gap in the Hornchurch wall and beyond Brightly into the net.

The game now seemed to be heading for a draw until a moment of class won the game for Hornchurch on 85 minutes. A long ball was touched on to Kris Lee who took a touch, turned the defender and fired a fine volley beyond Wiseman and into the top corner.

It was a goal worthy of winning any game but still Canvey refused to give up. A surging run from Edgar saw him strike a powerful low drive from outside the area that Brightly scrambled behind for a corner. From the resulting kick taken by Edgar, Wall headed off target.

The final whistle blew and Canvey went away feeling that they deserved at least a draw from a hardworking and spirited performance. With results not going their way elsewhere, Canvey now drop out of the play off places but after a run of poor form will be heartened by their performances in the last two games before a massive game with Sudbury at Park Lane next weekend.

Yellow’s Man of the Match:

DAVE KREYLING:   Back to his best at the heart of the defence.

Match report by David Powell.