WFC v Hornchurch - Match Thread

[Keithsson]

This one is HUGE.

MATCH CENTRE - Link

It may seem to the casual observer that the Folkestone game on Tuesday will be the tougher of the back to back home games this coming week. But the Urchins are on a fantastic run of winning form and we will need to be at our absolute best to break that run.

Now as much as i'd like to, it can't go without mention that their last visit to Woodside Road back in August 2019 ended in a 0-6 win for them.

Moving swiftly on... it was back in mid November when we fairly comfortably won the away fixture 3-1 (Aarran, Ollie, Joel). Hornchurch lost again next time out, but no great disgrace in a 2-1 defeat away at Enfield. However since then its been seven straight league wins on the trot (Bognor, Kingstonian, Wingate, Bowers, Stortford, Brightlingsea and Margate). 

They may only be 7th presently, but win their game in hand and stay on that sort of form and they are firmly in the promotion picture.

ILPD Table - Link

Clearly with that sort of run they're going to top the form table with maximum points over the last six games. We are in 6th with 12 points from the last available 18.

ILPD Form (last 6 H&A) - Link

With four of their seven game winning streak coming away from home, plus a great earlier point taken back from Folkestone, they also top the away form table. We still top the home form table so its another fixture like Lewes earlier in the season... the best home team going head to head with the best away team. That game ended well for us in a hugely entertaining 5-4 win, but boy was it a close run thing!

In a way the confidence that comes with being on such a good run could assist us, we seem to have more space and get more joy against the sides that 'have a go' rather than 'park the bus'. But with that comes the jeopardy of our defence being more exposed that usual. This should be a great game to watch and it'll be a huge win if we can prevail.

Other weekend games...

Bishop's Stortford v East Thurrock United
Bognor Regis Town v Potters Bar Town
Bowers & Pitsea v Merstham
Cheshunt v Horsham
Cray Wanderers v Carshalton Athletic
Folkestone Invicta v Wingate & Finchley
Haringey Borough v Leatherhead
Kingstonian v Enfield Town
Lewes v Brightlingsea Regent
Margate v Corinthian-Casuals

K's v Enfield see's 5th play 2nd so points will be lost in the chasing pack there somewhere. But otherwise our challengers can expect pretty routine home wins. Woodside Road on Saturday is by far the stand-out ILPD game of the week.

Squad wise those that were rested at Nyewood Lane will undoubtedly come back in and our strongest possible line up will be restored... it needs to be!

No-one left the ground disappointed on Saturday so you'd think we shouldn't drop back to a three figure crowd again. However it must be accepted that with three home games in just ten days folk may justifiably pick and choose which games to attend. Folkestone has been the 'eye catching' fixture for some time but choosing to swerve this game could be a big mistake, it has all the hallmarks of a potential classic.

Come on you Rebels!         

  
                 

[findonrebel]

This is a massive massive game, I personally think that a draw in this game is a good result and if we can win even better, I will take a win and draw from the 2 tough upcoming games!

We can't underestimate them, and I don't think Hinsh will let that happen, but a tricky week ahead!

[Keithsson]

Agreed. I'd definitely take a draw in this one... and to be honest even from Invicta too.

Two points from six might sound poor but when you're clear at the top not losing to the chasing teams is by far the most important thing.

[Kenty in Weardale]

These two games feel like one of the defining periods of the season to me; win both and we open up a significant gap and probably dishearten the chasing pack, lose them and the title is up for grabs

[findonrebel]

Jan 20, 2022 10:30:41 GMT Kenty in Weardale said:

These two games feel like one of the defining periods of the season to me; win both and we open up a significant gap and probably dishearten the chasing pack, lose them and the title is up for grabs

Nail, meet head of hammer! One win, one defeat isn't bad also ( win against Folkestone is preferential ) neither is 2 draws but as you say, this feels make or break!

[Keithsson]

[findonrebel]

One word

Bugger!!

[tarringrebel]

Probably a point was about the most we deserved this afternoon I felt. On a cold day, the home crowd had been numbed into near silence by a very dull display for the first 35 minutes, where we had 'enjoyed' endless possession in our own half, passing side to side and back again, interspersed by an occasional long overhit ball forwards, or Hornchurch waiting for us to give it away, with no seeming method of working the ball forwards through the lines, or even playing with any attacking urgency. The game suddenly came to overdue life when we hit the bar with a close range header from our first attempt on their goal nearing the end of the half. Adam's half time words (and subsequent presence on the touchline) did seem to have a galvanizing effect on the team as the second half provided more entertainment, our well-taken goal by Jasper, a flurry of bookings, and the drama of their late late equalizer. In the end, neither keeper had many saves to make as the respective defences held sway over the forwards today.

[wwrebel]

Fair result overall with 2 well organised sides mostly cancelling each other out in a game where clear chances were lacking.
Wonderful goal from Jasper but as the game wore on we dropped deeper and deeper and didn't look after the ball very well in their half.
This enabled Hornchurch to get the ball in and around our box and they grabbed their goal with a well struck volley after we failed to clear a long free kick.
Easy to see why Hornchurch have conceded so few goals, very well disciplined and they will take points of the other sides at the top I would think.
No easy games in this division as shown by Brightlingsea grabbing a point at Lewes and Horsham gaining a good win at Cheshunt.

[Keithsson]

Yeah, I can certainly see your take on things Tarringrebel. But if I take my red tinted spectacles off for a second I can also see that was a very good game of 'tactical cat and mouse'.

On balance, for me, that was two good teams nullifying each others patterns of play. Not a great game in terms of barnstorming entertainment but more like a game of chess... not much fun to watch but fascinating to see them working each other out.

I said beforehand I'd take a draw. At half time, having spurned a couple of good chances I feared luck wasn't on our side so again said I'd take a draw.

But when Jasper had put us ahead and we'd ground out a clean sheet into injury time, I thought we'd done enough. So yes it's the draw I was content to take, but coming so late it feels like a defeat.

Which, if I'm being picky, brings me to a critical observation. I really don't like late defensive substitutions... especially when you're immediately facing a set piece.

I'm not saying Pat Webber was at fault but when a defensive line has held firm for an hour and a half its fully up to speed, players knows who they are picking up and which of their team mates is covering them. Put a fresh player into that line just for a couple of minutes and all those certainties suddenly become uncertainties... it upsets the apple cart when the apple cart just needs to carry on doing what it was doing.

I'm not a tactical mastermind but it seems to me if you want to bolster your defensive numbers, do it with 10-15 minutes to go, do it when the play isn't coming straight at you. Give the line a chance to settle.

It just seemed to me it was a substitution purely to run down the clock. And in a game of fine margins that tiny percentage of doubt in the back line just wasn't entirely helpful to calmly seeing the game out.

Everyone else won so we drop two points to the pack. That's not fatal and no-one should be unduly down about it but it does make Tuesday doubly important now.

[wwrebel]

I enjoyed the game despite the lack of goal mouth action as it was contest between 2 very well drilled sides who had to work hard to get any chance of scoring.

Someone other than Marvin needed to get their head to their late free kick.
Marvin only managed to head it upwards as he was staring from a standing position instead of moving forward to meet the ball and when our second clearing header failed to go any distance it fell perfectly for the player to volley home.

If their goal came in the 75th minute as opposed to the 92nd the draw would have felt easier to take as I felt neither side did enough to win it. Apart from one parry from Wright in the first half both keepers were relatively untroubled.

Pity we couldn't hold out, we needed to get the ball down the channels in the last few minutes rather than pumping it forward straight down the middle where it was quickly being returned to our defensive third.

Very easy to see why Hornchurch have the best defensive record in the division, very well organised and kept their shape really well. Hopefully they will make life hard for the chasing pack in the remaining fixtures.

Just as an aside, should we have had a penalty in the 2nd half when Aarran's header seemed to strike a defenders arm??
Couldn't see it clearly from the half way line but our bench certainly appealed for it.

[markg]

Hard to take that but I walked in saying I would be happy with a draw so reminded myself of that as I walked home. Typically I missed the Jasper goal as I was at the bar. We knew it would be tough and so will Tuesday night. Fair play to Hornchurch for stealing the draw. Hope Reece’s injury isn’t serious and doesn’t put him out for Tuesday night. Have a nasty feeling it will......

[pp]

Felt like a jab filled boxing match, with two good teams sizing each other up… I had Worthing marginally ahead on points after the first half (two close headers from Reece and Ollie), probably a draw in the second.., but I can see how others would score it differently…

Draw overall wasn’t an unfair result, but I hope given the way it happened there is a bit of fire to avoid similar happening on Tuesday… and that is going to be a toughie. A win for either team would be huge… here’s hoping it’s Worthing!

[rambler]

All very fair accounts, and a draw a fair result. Am I the only one a little disappointed by our obvious time wasting from the time we scored- I suppose in the modern idiom that is pompously called game management. It is still pretty unedifying. 

[Kenty in Weardale]

This thread is an excellent example of why I love this forum. As an exile I am dependant on the coverage provided so well by rebelyell. I formed the impression, aided by the enthusiastic, but of course naturally biased, commentary that "we wuz robbed".

Seeing the wider view of near unanimity that a draw was a fair result changes my whole perception of Saturday to one of seeing it as a hard fought point gained.

My post is in no way a criticism of rebelyell; I think that I just assumed that we would rock up and take 3 points rather than consider the quality of the opposition more. Having been at the away win over them I just didn't foresee the threat.

Anyway, the forum has been more active of late and all the better for it