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| Tom Owen-Evans Celebrates His Goal For Hereford |
Hornchurch delivered a late flurry of goals to overcome Hereford FC at Wembley in the FA Trophy Final 3-1. Hereford looked in control at half-time following Tom Owen Evans's 13th minute opener but it was the Isthmian League side who out-fought their National League North opponents with strikes from Charie Ruff, Liam Nash and Ellis Brown to claim the trophy for Mark Stimson for a fourth time as manager, having previously winning it twice with Grays and then with Stevenage from 2005 to 2007.
It was the lower graded opponents who created the first opportunity of the game when Sam Higgins controlled and played in strike partner Nash on the left-hand side box but his first-time shot from a tight angle was held by Brandon Hall. In the 13th minute Hereford took the lead following a well worked-corner. Chris Camwell took a short corner to Kyle Finn who played it back to the midfielder; his low pass found Owen-Evans who had peeled away from his marker and a first-time shot was deflected into the net off the despairing defender. Cue a power-slide from Owen-Evans down the other side of pitch in front of the Hereford fans.
Further chances followed by Hereford as they took control of the game, with Hornchurch keeping possession well at the back but rarely threatening the final third. Michael Bakare found space on the left wing before cutting in past his man but a chip over the 'keeper lacked conviction. Camwell then tried his luck with a powerful free-kick from the right-hand side of the box after Joey Butlin had done well to force a foul, but Joseph Wright was on hand to parry the ball out for a corner.
It felt like the Bulls were in control of the game at the half-way point but the second half was a different story completely. The first sign of danger from Hornchurch came when Jared Hodgkiss was dispossessed his right-back berth; Brown cut back to Lewis Spence who delivered a first-time cross where Joe Christou flicked wide at the near-post. At the other end, Owen-Evans fired off-target when off-balance after turning and shooting, and Bakare's lofted cross was met by Hodgkiss in the box but he couldn't direct his header towards goal.
Stimson introduced Ruff and Christopher Dickson for Spence and Higgins, and the Greater London based team soon found their feet. Their best opportunity came in the 72nd minute came when Mickey Parcell chipped a pass to Nash who controlled inside the box and lofted a shot over Hall, but Hodgkiss tracked back on the line clearing at the second-attempt with the ball ready to roll over for the equaliser. In the aftermath Hall blocked Nash's second attempt and Dickson's low cross eluded everyone.
Following that warning from Hornchurch, Hereford introduced James McQuilkin for Camwell to try and shore up the midfield, but within moments of the sub being made, Hereford were pegged back. Christou's long throw was headed by Jamie Grimes against his own bar and it fell to Ruff who bundled in from two yards out. In the 80th minute, Butlin was bundled to the ground inside the box with shouts of a penalty but the ref wasn't interested, before Bakare met a McQuilkin corner but couldn't divert his header on target.
The killer blow for Hereford came in the 86th minute - Nash, the top goalscorer in the competion, added another one to his record when Ruff clipped a hopeful ball into the box and Dickson nodded onto Nash, unmarked and from 8 yards he lashed a left-foot shot past Hall in front of the Hornchurch fans. A flurry of subs followed with Maziar Kouhyar and Yan Klukowski introduced for Finn and Bakare, and despite 6 minutes being added on, Hereford failed to create one final chance and instead it was the Urchins who sealed the deal with a breakaway goal. Parcell's throw from the right was flicked on by Dickson and Brown span on the right-wing, before outpacing Luke Haines and cutting into the box, beating Hall with a right-foot shot which squeezed past the 'keeper.
Five years to the day that 20,000 Hereford fans took over Wembley for the FA Vase final, it was heartbreak once again, despite the Bulls going a goal in front. It was a stranger atmosphere with the restrictions on capacity meaning only 3,000 fans travelled from Herefordshire. It really was a tale of two halves and Josh Gowling will be disappointed with the second-half performance from his team, but that's taking nothing away from Hereford for an excellent cup run, with higher-graded scalps. Gowling and Steve Burr can take great confidence from the bit-part season as the team developed into a strong unit and push forward for 2021/22. Congratulations to Hornchurch FC and we wish them all the best for next season.
Final Score: Hereford 1-3 Hornchurch.
Hereford: Hall, Hodgkiss, Haines, Grimes, Butroid, Finn (Kouhyar), Lloyd, Camwell (McQuilkin), Bakare (Klukowski), Owen-Evans, Butlin.
Subs not used: White, Pollock, Digie, Jones.
Hornchurch: Wright, Parcell, Hayles, Muldoon, Sutton, Christou, Clark, Spence (Ruff), Brown, Nash (Stimson), Higgins (Dickson).
Subs not used: Thackway, Winn, Hassan, Cooper.
Goalscorers: Owen-Evans (Hereford), Ruff, Nash and Brown (Hornchurch).