Hornchurch look for home improvement

Tuesday (7.45pm)

Ryman Premier Division

Hornchurch (2nd) v Carshalton (12th)

Urchins recorded their eighth away win in nine league matches this season with a 3-1 success at Hastings on Saturday.

Martin Tuohy, Lewis Smith and Jon Hunt were on target for Jimmy McFarlane’s men, as they kept pace with leaders Lowestoft at the top end of the table.

But their home form so far this term has been less reliable, with 10 points taken from a possible 21 to date.

Still, Urchins will go into tonight’s encounter in confident mood having suffered only one defeat in their last 10 matches and that was a league cup loss at Cheshunt, a competition low down on McFarlane’s list of priorities this season.

The most pleasing aspect of Saturday’s win for McFarlane was seeing his squad avoid picking up any more injuries.

All those involved should be available for selection tonight and Michael Spencer also has a chance of featuring, following the injury he picked up in the Essex Senior Cup win at Thurrock last week.

Carshalton, meanwhile, are unbeaten in four and currently occupy a mid-table berth after being held to a 1-1 draw by lowly Leatherhead in their Surrey derby on Saturday.

They had Michael Kamara to thank, though, for a goalline clearance in injury time, after Dean Lodge cancelled out an early Tommy Hutchings penalty.

“We didn’t wake up for 30 minutes and by that time we were a goal down,” said Robins boss Paul Dipre.

“We’ve been cursed with team selection problems all season, either through injury and more recently illness. It’s affected stability and, in turn, confidence, but we have done very well to get through it and pick up useful points along the way,” he added.

Hornchurch will be hoping to end that recent run tonight, however.

*Hornchurch will visit League One side Colchester in the Essex Senior Cup on Tuesday December 6, with a 7.30pm kick-off.