Essex Senior League
13th August 2005
	Waltham Abbey	1 - 0	AFC Hornchurch
Sontag 16'		H/T 1-0 Att: 226

Match Highlights

Waltham Abbey

AFC Hornchurch

Sontag - GOAL	16
Underhill - BOOKED	40
Connelly - BOOKED	52
Ayres - OFF Burches - ON	54
Bostock - OFF Rutherford - ON	65
	72	BOOKED - Sontag
	77	OFF - Burbridge ON - Dear
	81	OFF - Heale ON - Pamplin
	85	BOOKED - Pamplin
Power - OFF Bufulwa - ON	86
	88	OFF - Sontag ON - Bull

Match Report by Tony Middleton
 

The injury to Danny Cowley meant that the midfield was re-shuffled, with Rikki Burbridge taking over Danny’s role. Lee Sontag came in at left back, whilst Charlie Bull dropped to substitute, with Steve King now fit again. Long before the start the bar was filling up, and the car park was packed. Highlight of the pre-match build up was the grass snake which entertained a number of Urchins in the nearby river (the snake was in the river, not the Urchins).

The pitch was sloping and bumpy and the strong wind brought rain with it, which increased in intensity as the match progressed. Abbey looked the more composed side at the start, with an early corner from Power being headed out from almost under the bar by Bostock. Urchins caused Abbey a worrying moment however when Golby’s long throw found Tiffin, whose powerful upfield kick saw Holland running on to the high ball, but keeper Hickman rushed out of goal to head away, and then repeated the feat a few minutes later. Danny Heale had a good attempt following a Nicky Cowley free kick - the first of many - and keeper Hickman held on to the ball as it sailed towards the net. Then Hickman turned a Cowley volley out for a corner, which Nicky Cowley swerved alarmingly goalwards, but over the bar as the wind increased still more. Abbey were by no means on the defensive and were beginning to win possession of many of the loose balls, from one of which White cut inside and forced Collier to make a diving save at the foot of the post.

Abbey scored what proved to be the only goal of the match when MARC SONTAG took advantage of a defensive lapse to beat his marker, cut inside, and drive the ball low and hard into the net, the goal being greeted by almost total silence. It could have been two soon after as Albert Bostock broke through the middle, but stumbled on the uneven surface and tripped himself up. But then Marc Sontag again worked himself into a shooting position, but hammered the ball into the car park.

Danny Heale hit a shot high over the bar, whilst keeper Hickman again headed out from several years outside his area. Next a long Golby throw gave Holland a half chance, but his shot was hurried and wide. Cowley looked to be through but was fouled, and from Cowley’s own free kick King came up but headed well over the bar. Then King played a long ball down the middle, and Holland touched it on to Heale, but he slipped over on one of the many bumps on the very wet surface. A long free kick from Golby saw Page do well to deflect the ball around the post for a corner, which Cowley floated into the middle, the ball was half cleared, only as far as Lee Sontag, who played it back again, and Holland raced through but was forced wide and fired his shot across the goal, with no one there to touch it home. Another long Golby throw ended with a goalmouth scramble, with Forde eventually hitting the ball to safety. But Abbey came back again and Power’s short corner to Connolly saw Forde coming up for the cross, but King headed away.

When Marc Sontag conceded a free kick following a hard tackle on Greg Tiffin, he was perhaps fortunate to escape with only a lecture, and from Cowley’s dangerous kick into the goalmouth, it was Ayres who got there first, again conceding a corner.

At half time, Urchins had not really stamped any authority on the midfield, as Abbey’s defence was winning or intercepting far too many passes. Urchins were making one good move, followed by one poor move, and were giving the ball away too frequently in midfield, whilst the forwards too often found themselves quickly closed down by a very hard tackling home side. Perhaps a yellow card or two might have been in order. Short passes were going astray and the long penetrating runs down the wing were simply not happening. However with many lengthy stoppages, it was somewhat of a surprise to find that only three minutes and 42 seconds were added on.

With the rain coming down, it was perhaps only good weather for the five swans which flew low over the ground as the second half started. Things began to look a little more promising, when Sontag found himself space on the wing, but his cross went begging. Tiffin was finding time to come forward and Abbey were fortunate when Hickman dropped a cross from Tiffin, but neither Holland nor Heale could follow up in time. When Albert Bostock stopped Cowley in full flight, Heale got onto the end of the free kick but the ball was half cleared by Forde, only as far as King, whose shot was too high.

Tiffin made ground on the right, and picked out Cowley, but Ayres charged down his shot, whilst Perry sent Tiffin away again on the right, only for him to be brought down. At last a yellow card was waved. Cowley took the free kick, played it short to Tiffin, but Forde was there once again to take the force of the shot. Abbey’s defence looked very composed and it was a well flighted clearance from Forde which found Elmes clear, looking well offside however. No whistle, and it took a very rapid recovery by Lee Sontag to prevent a goal. Forde then intercepted a misplaced Cowley pass, played the ball up to Elmes again, but this time he hit the ball high over the bar, and narrowly missed the sunflowers growing in the nearby allotments.

A Cowley cross went begging, with no one to touch the ball home, and when Albert Bostock stopped Cowley, conceding one of countless free kicks, it was Forde who headed out from Cowley’s centre, with King, Heale and Holland all coming in for the ball. On came Asa Pamplin, and the right side of the field began to open up a bit, though Asa was booked when he was involved with Underhill, who was perhaps fortunate to remain on the pitch, when a second yellow seemed likely to result. But Urchins were not getting through. Then Burbridge was replaced by Sean Dear, who immediately began to move up the field, and his distribution began to worry Abbey, judging by their tackling whenever got the ball. Charlie Bull came on, and in true fashion raced clear on the left, from Dear’s excellent pass, and goalkeeper Hickman came out to smother the ball at his feet. A mass appeal for hand ball was ignored, whilst Cowley was yet again upended, this time on the edge of the area. Over six minutes were added on for stoppages, but Abbey held out fairly comfortably, for a win they did not expect, judging from the scenes at the end.

It was not even possible to make a rapid exit from the car park, as they had parked the cars four deep, but this brought its own bonus, as an otter was playing on the bank of the river alongside the ground - at least someone was enjoying the rain.
 

Video Highlights by Rob Monger

- 16mins. Waltham Abbey's Marc Sontag scores the winning goal (500KB)
- Match analysis from manager John Lawrence (2.5MB)
 

  Teams

Waltham Abbey John Hickman Dan Page Adam Connelly Dave Ayres Wesley Forde (c) Sam Underhill Lee White Luke Power Marc Sontag Harry Elmes Albert Bostock SUBS Westley Rutherford Dennis Bufulwa Danny Green Jason Burches Danny Lawrence

- 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 * 12 14 15 16 18 17

Hornchurch Michael Collier Greg Tiffin Lee Sontag Glen Golby Steve King Jordan Bostock (c) Nicky Cowley Lee Perry Billy Holland Danny Heale Rikki Burbridge SUBS Asa Pamplin Charlie Bull Sean Dear Ket Koka-Makitu Lee Hawkes

Man of the Match Nominated by ...

Match Officials: Ernie Forsyth with Terry Turner and James Latham

Weather Conditions:  21 degrees and cloudy at start - 13 degrees and rain at finish

Match Duration:- First half 48mins 42secs - Second half 51mins 01secs
 

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