Hornchurch 2 Enfield Town 2
Report by Andrew Warshaw
A terrific point away from home against the league leaders or two dropped right at the death against 10 men?
Depends which way you look at it and how remaining results pan out over the rest of the Christmas and New Year period.
What is indisputable is that Enfield Town came within a whisker of inflicting the first home league defeat of the season on the Urchins. And that in the first half we played some of our best football of the season.
Indeed any neutrals who didn’t know which team was which might easily have concluded in that opening period that we were the side at the top of the league and Hornchurch were scrapping near the bottom.
Gavin Macpherson was forced to reshuffle the back line with Xav Benjamin serving a one-game suspension and Henry Hawkins too much of a gamble given the need the bed him back in slowly after a long layoff through injury.
But it has to be said that both Ruaridh Donaldson and Evan Jones acquitted themselves commendably alongside the imperious Adam Thompson.
Not that they were worked overtime in that first half when Town scored early and should have extended their lead.
After just 13 seconds, Lemar Reynolds’ long-range shot lacked sufficient power but showed good intent and on six minutes, our early promise was rewarded.
Hornchurch didn’t deal with a corner and when Billy Leonard nodded back across goal, Sam Youngs — back in the starting lineup wearing head and face protection following his broken nose – showed great control to rifle a bouncing ball into the roof of the net when he could easily have screwed it wide (pictured celebrating).
Town continued on the front foot with Lemar and Cian Dillon giving the Hornchurch defence plenty to think about. Urchins’ keeper Arthur Nasta smothered a Dillon effort while Lemar’s turn and volley flashed over. Then it was Nino Adom-Malaki’s turn to get in on the act with a Cruyff-like piece of trickery but chose the wrong option by trying to dink the keeper.
That should have been 2-0, only for Town to enjoy a huge slice of good fortune when debutant Hubert Graczyk was wrong-footed by Josh Rees’ effort, only for the ball to come back off the post into the grateful arms of our new keeper.
Apart from that, plus a Junior Morias effort fired into the side netting, Town had been the side knocking on the door.
H-T 0-1
The first big chance of the second period also went to Town, Harry Gibbs forced into a goal-saving clearance to thwart a lightning interchange of passes between our two strikers. Then Lemar spotted Nasta off his line but couldn’t quite direct a 40-yard lob goalwards.
But the momentum was beginning to change as Hornchurch, clearly given a half-time rocket, went to their bench for inspiration, picked up most second balls and began to thread dangerous passes together.
Yet just as they were building up a head of steam, Josh Hare was dismissed for a second yellow. On paper it was a relief for Town. Instead, it only serve to galvanise the hosts.
Sub Henry Sandat looked to have equalised, only for it to be ruled out by a high foot. But on 75 minutes, the 10 men were level when an overlap down our left wasn’t picked up and Sandat buried the cross.
Cut a frantic finale. Olly Davis came off the bench to restore Town’s lead after more fine work by Dillon and it looked for all the world like the enforced three-week break from league action would pay off handsomely.
Instead the joyous celebrations that greeted Davis’ goal were short-lived. Deep into stoppage time, the otherwise impressive Tosh Gallimore (second only in our midfield to the outstanding Hayden Bullas) gave away a needless freekick and in a right old melee, Graczyk could do no better than push the ball straight at the feet of Sandat who broke Town hearts with the kind of all-too-familiar last-gasp finish that plagued us earlier in the season.
Although we remain in the danger zone, it’s important to note our goal difference is the best of any of the bottom seven which augurs well.
“Hornchurch reacted like they’d won the game and we’d lost it which says a lot about how we played,” said a frustrated but generally upbeat Gavin Macpherson. “They have considerable fire power and in the second half they moved the ball better than us but all in all I can’t fault our boys. They were magnificent.
“We were mindful, having not played a league game for three weeks, that we might come back without momentum. But that wasn’t the case. Yes, it’s tinged with disappointment as we were looking to see the game out but when I take the last four games into perspective — two home wins, two away draws — there’s a lot to be positive about.”
Town: Graczyk; Jones, Thompson, Donaldson; Adom-Malaki, Bullas (Knight 91), Youngs, Gallimore, Leonard; Dillon, Reynolds (Davis 76)