Urchins set up Colchester trip

Essex Senior Cup

Thurrock 0 Hornchurch 0 (Hornchurch win 4-3 on pens)

Urchins booked a trip to League One side Colchester after beating Thurrock in a sudden-death shoot-out last night.

Goalkeeper Joe Woolley proved the hero, saving four out of seven home penalties to help Hornchurch progress.

Boss Jimmy McFarlane was forced to make several changes to his starting line-up, following Saturday’s hard-fought 2-1 win at Ryman Premier rivals Concord.

But Aaron Gayle headed an early chance from Tommy Black’s cross against the crossbar, before Andy Tomlinson picked out Ronnie Fletcher for a header, which was superbly saved by David Hughes.

Fleet’s Paul Terry fired straight at Joe Woolley at the other end, from Dean Cracknell’s pass, while former Urchin Rikki Burbridge sent a good chance over on the stroke of half-time.

Woolley got down low to save Glenn Poole’s free-kick on the hour, but the best chance of all fell to Alex Osborn with around 10 minutes remaining.

Sent clear on goal, Osborn fired his well-struck shot straight at Woolley, who then kept out spot-kicks from Reece Harris, Ben Bowditch, Drewe Broughton and Osborn.

Jon Hunt and Tommy Black saw their efforts saved by Hughes, while Lewis Smith hit the crossbar, but Joe Anderson, Tomlinson, Ronnie Fletcher and Simon Glover scored for Urchins, meanwhile, to send them through.

And they will be hoping for an improvement on their previous trip to the Weston Homes Community Stadium, which ended in a 6-0 defeat on a foggy night in January 2009.

Tomlinson and Frankie Curley are the only surviving members of that squad, although McFarlane and assistant John Purdie played on the night.

Hornchurch: Woolley, McSweeney (Thompson 43), Spencer (Glover 43), Fletcher, Hayles, Tomlinson, Eyong, Hunt, Gayle (Smith 90), Black, Anderson.