Bostik Premier Divison: AFC Hornchurch 3 Wingate & Finchley 0
Hornchurch made it four wins in their last five matches to climb further away from the Bostik Premier Division relegation zone with a comfortable 3-0 win over Wingate & Finchley.
Goals from Charlie Stimson, Joe Christou and Ronnie Winn sealed the three points and guided the Urchins up to 16th in the table.
The Urchins were without George Purcell who was still serving his suspension for being sent off in their 2-1 defeat to Leatherhead while George Saunders and Nathan Cooper remain sidelined with injuries.
The visitor’s manager Dave Norman named an unchanged team from the weekend after they picked up a 2-1 win over Kingstonian on the weekend.
The first effort of the match came in the third minute as the ball fell to midfielder Joe Christou but his left footed drive was wide of the target.
Four minutes later Wingate had a chance of their own as winger Charlie Ruff whipped in a beautiful cross from 20 yards out but it drifted out for a goal kick.
Ruff continued to cause danger as he then picked out Reece Beckles-Richards but the later then tried to pick out Irnti Rapai.
The cross was too heavy and cleared out but only as far as Tanasheh Abrahams who fired the ball over the bar.
In the 19th minute the hosts Charlie Stimson was played in from a free-kick by former Thurrock man Christou but the striker fired across the goal and wide.
Stimson made it four goals in five games as he broke the deadlock in the 32nd minute of the fixture.
Former Maidenhead United Sean Marks held the ball up and laid it back to Stimson who then turned on the defence and fired past Shane Gore into the bottom right.
Six minutes later it should have 2-0 as Marks was denied by the foot of Gore from point blank range.
The target man was picked out by right-back Alex Bentley after he raced down the right flank.
In the 41st minute Wingate’s Charlie Cole curled an effort just over the bar after being pushed inside by Beckles-Richards.
It was a slow start to the second-half until the 56th minute when Dave Norman’s side were awarded a free-kick 20 yards out.
Beckles-Richards stepped up and drilled a shot towards the to right corner but goalkeeper Callum Chafer tipped it over the bar for a corner.
Wingate substitute Anthony Mendy sent a dangerous cross in from the left in the 65th minute, but it evaded everyone and it given as a corner.
The hosts then had an effort cleared off the line as Stimson flicked on a Ronnie Winn corner three minutes later.
Midfielder Lewwis Spence let a rocket shot fly but his attempt went spiralling wide of the post before Stimson curled a shot just over after a flick on from partner Marks.
In the 85th minute Christou grabbed his first goal for the club and doubled his side’s lead as he curled home a shot with his left foot from outside the area.
Two minutes later the Urchins made it 3-0 as Ronnie Winn slid a shot underneath keeper Gore and into the bottom left corner.
AFC Hornchurch: Chafer, Bentley, Lee (G.Winn 89), Wilson, Sutton, Clark, Spence, Christie, Winn (Goode 89), Marks, Stimson.
Unused subs: Dutton and Glenister.
Wingate & Finchley: Gore, Williams (Mendy 63), Eadle (Tejan-Sie 80), Makoma, Smith, Njie, Ruff (Ifil 46), Rapai, Cole, Beckles-Richards, Abrahams.
Unused subs: Stewart, Dauti.
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