AFC Hornchurch 1-2 Maidstone United - Kids' emergence has given me food for thought, admits Hume

The Stones were in the box-seat when Elliot Bradbrook scored his fourth goal of the season inside first half stoppage time and they had one foot in the next round when striker James Pinnock headed home his seventh goal of the season with ten minutes left.

AFC Hornchurch did pull a goal back through substitute Ross Wall, but it proved too little too late for the Essex side, as Maidstone United booked a trip to Swindon Supermarine in the next round on Saturday week.

The Stones were without the likes of Nathan Paul, Roland Edge, Ian Cox, Ian Selley, Kevin Watson, Ben Lewis, Meshach Nugent and Steve Northwood, for this FA Carlsberg Trophy first qualifying round replay.

They fielded an unfamiliar back-four of Ashley Ulph, Jay Saunders, Neil Smith and Aaron Lacy, but the emergence of the club’s reserve team players was what pleased Hume the most.

“I thought the youngsters that came in acquitted themselves very, very well,” Hume told www.kentishfootball.co.uk afterwards. “They didn’t look out of place at all and the future looks bright.

“If you’re a manager like me that’s got kids coming through, Peter Nott (our reserve team manager) keeps telling me how good they are week in week out at reserve level, and to be fair they’ve come in tonight and not let anyone down.

“They’ve made us have a few (thoughts) in our mind what we should be doing as a club, bringing players through because they’ve certainly given us food for thought.”

The first chance of the game came AFC Hornchurch’s way, inside the opening seven minutes. A quickly taken free-kick released striker Kris Lee, but his left-footed drive from twenty-yards, on the right-hand side of the area, was comfortably saved by goalkeeper Andy Walker at his near post.

Then, a slick passing move from the hosts, presented another chance but Andy Tomlinson drilled a left-footed drive just past the post.

Maidstone United called Urchins’ goalkeeper, Dale Brightly, into action in the 15th minute when Pinnock, who scored the Stones goal in the 1-1 draw at Bourne Park on Saturday, unleashed a fierce right-footed drive from 25-yards, which was clawed to safety by the former Dartford stopper.

However, a slip from Saunders, playing at the heart of Maidstone’s defence, let in Simon Parker, but the striker was thwarted by alert thinking from Walker.

Stones’ striker Craig Thompson tried his luck with a shot from outside the penalty area, but this was never going to trouble Brightly.

Patient build-up from the Kent side saw the ball played back to left-back Ulph, who arrowed over a cross for Pinnock to bring under control with his chest before turning to fire a left-footed shot over the crossbar.

The former Margate striker then blasted the ball into the side netting, although from an acute angle.

However, play went from one end to another on the stroke of half-time.

A break away from the Essex side saw Tomlinson clip the ball forward to Lee, who released Parker, but his right-footed shot brought a smart save from Walker.

But Hume and Alan Walker’s half-time team-talk changed for the better when Bradbrook broke the deadlock, towards the end of first-half stoppage time.

Saunders cut along the right by-line, following a corner, and his left-footed shot across was deflected to the edge off the area where Bradbrook toe-poked the ball goalwards and as the ball rebounded off Tomlinson inside the box, the Stones midfielder immediately curled a low left-footed drive into the far corner, with Brightly looking on despairingly.

Hornchurch’s only way of breaking a resolute Stones defence came mainly from set-pieces.

Elliot Styles’ looping header, following Tomlinson’s corner from the left, dropped over Walker’s crossbar.

Maidstone United then created two half-chances that weren’t taken, but in the 57^th minute, Ulph’s cross from the left was met by Pinnock’s thumping header, whilst falling backwards, which he directed only just past the far post.

But the Kent side’s best chance came six minutes later.

It needed two Hornchurch players to chop down pacy winger, Seb Schoburgh and substitute Lloyd Blackman cracked a right-footed free-kick from thirty-yards, which flew just past the left upright.

Hornchurch went close when Tomlinson curled in a free-kick from the right-hand side but all that Goodfellow could do was to glance his header just past the post. Another headed chance for the big central defender came later, but his towering header was comfortably dealt with by Walker.

With both teams playing FA Cup fourth qualifying round ties on Saturday, the last thing both sets of players wanted, was extra time.

Ant Bodle almost made it a dream debut when his twenty-yard drive, from the right-hand side, was turned around the near post by an alert Brightly.

But the crucial second, killer goal, arrived from the resulting 80^th minute corner.

The ball was played to former Urchin, Andy Martin, and his cross from the right was met by a thumping header from Pinnock, which flew into the corner.

That second goal proved vital in the end as the Essex side pressed and managed to pull a goal back, from a set-piece, in the last minute.

A corner from the left from substitute, Lee Hodges, wasn’t cleared by the Kent side and the ball fell nicely for fellow substitute, Ross Wall, who drilled a left-footed shot through a crowded goal-mouth, to find the bottom left-hand corner.

“It’s important for us to win but it was also important for us to make sure we had as many players fit for Saturday as we could, in terms of regular first team players,” explained Hume.

“To go out today with a team of only four first team regulars we were holding our breath a little bit, but the lads who came in done brilliant and they didn’t look out of place.

“Their chairman and their manager said to me afterwards we deserved it. I thoroughly believe we did. That 2-1 wasn’t a smash-and-grab. I think we played better football than them. The only time they looked dangerous was from set pieces and the odd defensive lapse.

“We’ve played Neil Smith (who was signed last Friday from Blue Square Premier club Grays Athletic, where he was coach), at centre-half, his first ninety minutes he’s had for over a year. Jay Saunders hasn’t played centre half for God knows how long and PK (James Peacock), who hasn’t played for six weeks, played centre midfield, and Aaron Lacy as well.

“We’ve brought a lot of players who are rusty and they’ve done brilliantly tonight and I’m delighted for them.”

The Stones can now look forward to their BIG FA Cup Fourth and Final Qualifying Round showdown with Blue Square South giants, AFC Wimbledon, at Bourne Park on Saturday.

“It gives us selection problems for the weekend but the reality is we’ve got to be honest and the reality is we’ll go with our experience on Saturday because you know what we get week in week out,” revealed Hume.

“When you bring youngsters into a side they do well but every now and again you have to pull them out.

“I thought Butch (Ashley Ulph), our left-back, done brilliantly tonight. He played right-back on Saturday, shows how versatile he is as well.

“I’m just delighted with the performance but Saturday will be a different kettle off fish. It will be a different pressurised environment, there will be a big crowd and big expectations from a lot of fans and experience you can’t really put a price on that.

“We will go with the experience as long as they’re fit, but if players aren’t fit, they’re not 100%, then we don’t have a hesitation putting those kids back in.”

AFC Hornchurch: Dale Brightly, Donny Barnard, Lee Brown, John Purdie, Mark Goodfellow, Andy Tomlinson (Raphael Sylvester 77), Frannie Curley (Lee Hodges 52), Mark Janney, Kris Lee (Ross Wall 81), Simon Parker, Eliot Styles.
Subs: Billy Coyne, Jim McFarlane.

Goal: Ross Wall 89

Booked: John Purdie 90

Maidstone United: Andy Walker, Ashley Ulph, Aaron Lacy, Neil Smith, Jay Saunders, Seb Schoburgh (Keelan Mooney 83), Andy Martin, Craig Thompson (Ant Bodle 72), James Pinnock, James Peacock, Elliot Bradbrook (Lloyd Blackman 45).
Subs: Jim Bodle, Adam Harris.

Goals: Elliot Bradbrook 45, James Pinnock 80

Booked: Ant Bodle 75

Attendance: 257
Referee: Mr Ryan Atkin (Sydenham, London SE26)
Assistants: Mr Ernest Ako (Barking, Essex) & Mr D Dixon