Ryman Premier: Hornchurch 1 Peacehaven & Telscombe 1
Hornchurch had their relegation to Ryman North confirmed after failing to beat Peacehaven & Telscombe at Bridge Avenue.
The home side came into the game in need of nothing but a win to keep their hopes of staying up alive and dominated throughout.
Urchins showed some fight from the off and with only four minutes gone George Purcell had the first attempt of the game when he fired a shot from just outside the box that was held comfortably by visiting keeper Alieu Secko.
Two minutes later Supporters’ Player of the Year Purcell nearly latched onto a through ball from Martin Tuohy, but was narrowly beaten to the ball by the Peacehaven custodian.
At the other end of the pitch just a minute later it was Sam Mott who was called into action as he dived across to intercept a cross as the opposition broke through.
The hosts kept pressing hard and in the 15th minute Joey May curled in a free-kick that was met by the head of Elliot Styles who rose high to send it over the bar.
Only a minute later the Urchins broke again as Tuohy flicked a ball back to his incoming strike partner Purcell, who fired it wide off the target.
The duo linked up again in the 21st minute as Purcell sent Tuohy through on the left side on the box and he took on the visiting defence only for his shot to be deflected for a corner.
The visitors finally came back with an attack of their own when striker Stubbing fired over.
But the deadlock was broken in the 34th minute when Purcell fired a low shot into the bottom right corner after partner Tuohy was brought down.
Five minutes later the home side went on the attack again as a long throw in worked its way across the pitch where Danny Woodards let a rocket go, with the keeper struggling to keep hold of it.
Hornchurch continued pressing as soon the second half kicked off and sent the ball straight into the box, but their appeals for handball when the ball appeared to hit a Peacehaven defender on the arm were waved away.
Urchins continued their dominance as May curled in a long distance free-kick that had to be tipped wide for a corner in the 56th minute.
But 12 minutes later Mott had to come up trumps when Steve Metcalf tried his luck from a free-kick on the edge of the box.
Peacehaven found their way back into the game, after making three substituions, as striker Tom Burton fired a shot in off the post to tie the game.
Hornchurch came back with some pressure of their own winning two corners before the ball hit the back of the net from a May corner, only for the effort to be disallowed.
Jimmy McFarlane’s men did not give up the fight and Purcell ran onto a loose ball in the final minute of normal time, only to take out Secko on his way through.
But a point was not enough to keep their faint hopes of survival alive and they travel to high-flying Hendon on Monday, before ending their disappointing campaign at Met Police on April 25.
Hornchurch: Mott, Woodards, Styles, Roast, Coyne, Joseph (Beckles-Richards 85), Johnson, Curly, May, Tuohy, Purcell. Unused subs: Bishop, Gogo, Homans, Chafer.
Attendance: 236.
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