Match Report

Hornchurch v St Ives Town

Pre-Season Friendly 30-07-2022

An excellent culmination to pre-season for Ives who made the long trip down into Essex to face fellow step three Urchins who finished last season as unlucky play-off final losers in Isthmian Premier League, just missing out on promotion to step two.

They perhaps underestimated their visitors from Cambridgeshire who showed most of the early intent and got their noses in front after only nine minutes when Jonny Edwards turned home Andrew Osei-Bonsu’s low cross from the right.

The hosts equalised in almost identical fashion with their first real shot on target in 23rd minute. An excellent ball down the left by Remi Sutton put Ola Ogunwamide away and his low cross was emphatically thumped home at the near post by Liam Nash.

An excellent point blank save from James Goff to deny Charlie Stimson kept Ives on level terms three minutes later but after that brief period of home pressure the visitors quickly got back on top and deservedly got back in front nine minutes before the break when their trialist left winger cut out a poor ball out of defence and fed in Dylan Williams who finished well.

Goff was in action again early in the second half when he did well to beat away a fierce drive from just inside the box by Nash who had made a surging run through the heart of Ives back line. Having seen off the hosts early second half pressure an excellent free kick saw Ives further increase their lead in 57th minute. Edwards was initially fouled by Urchins trialist centre back. Dylan Williams curled the resulting free kick over the wall and into the top corner past the despairing dive of the hosts trialist keeper.

Both sides now began to bring on their various trialist options for the closing 25 minutes but the intensity of the game never dropped with both sides very much treating it as the dress rehearsal for next weeks season opener that it was. Two of Ives “possibles” combined in 63rd minute and the powerful on target header from the more central of the pair took an excellent defensive header from Kenny Clark to clear the ball off the Urchin’s goal line and prevent the lead increasing.

The powerful runs of Nash had been the hosts main goal threat throughout and he halved the arrears with a typical drive which took him past Julien Saka down the left before cutting in and coolly slotting past the advancing Goff with twelve minute remaining.

As the host went in search of what would have been an undeserved equaliser they started to leaves gaps at the back and as the game went into stoppage time last season’s strike pairing, who had both joined the game off the bench,combined to put the game beyond doubt. Ethan Johnston cut out a poor pass on the halfway line and put Nabil Shariff clear. Shariff made no mistake drawing the exposed keeper to him before finding the bottom corner with what proved to be the last kick of the game.

Overall an excellent end to what could be considered asuccessful building process through pre-season. The only blot on the horizon ahead of next weeks season opener at Bromsgrove was Dylan Williams limping out of the game with twenty minutes to go and having to be helped up the steps to the changing room at the end of the game. Hopefully it is only a knock from which he will recover quickly.

Final Score: Hornchurch  2  St Ives Town  4    

Goals:

HORNCHURCH: Nash 23 & 78

ST IVES: Edwards 9, D. Williams 36 & 57, Shariff 90+2

Starting Elevens:

HORNCHURCH: Trialist, Parcell, Sutton, K. Clark, J. Clark, Hayles, Wraight, Ogunwamide, Joseph, Nash, Stimson,

ST IVES: Goff, Lembikisa, Herd, Richens (capt), J. Williams, Milne, Trialist, Cowlyn, Edwards, D. Williams, Osei-Bonsu

Report by Nigel Howlett. Video by Dave Hook.