Hornchurch sealed a fine domestic season with a fiery 2-1 home win over already-relegated Kingstonian on Saturday afternoon.
As top versus bottom prepared to face off on the final day of the Isthmian League Premier Division, Urchins boss Daryl McMahon made four changes to the team that beat Potters Bar just a week prior, as the home side looked to end a title-winning season on a high.
It was the away side, however, that grabbed the first goal in a whirlwind start to the afternoon.
Kingstonian captain Eddie Dsane was brought down on the edge of the box by the Urchins’ Ryan Scott, and stepped up to curl the free-kick around the wall to beat Joe Wright with a stunning effort to give the Ks an early advantage.
The lead didn’t last for long, however, as the excellent Mauro Vilhete brought the score level with a fantastic solo effort.
The Portuguese-born midfielder picked up the ball on the left side following a poor touch from the opposition full-back, before beating two Kingstonian players to smash the ball into the bottom corner and restore parity.
Forward Femi Akinwande went close just two minutes later and Liam Nash should have put the Urchins in front after brilliant footwork in the Kingstonian box.
Goalscorer Vilhete then began to pull the strings in midfield, using his body expertly to create numerous chances for Akinwande and veteran Sean Scannell, none of which were converted.
As the second half kicked off, the Urchins soon found themselves ahead for the first time in the match as Nash’s tidy finish on the hour mark put the champions ahead.
Former Crystal Palace winger Scannell then came within inches of extending the lead from a corner after a surging run into the box from Vilhete down the right-hand side.
After a short stoppage in play due to a disagreement between Kingstonian’s Johnathon Kamara and manager Tutu Henriques, the chances continued to fall for McMahon’s side.
Akinwande stormed down the right-hand side beyond his full back a few minutes later and delivered a decent cross for Nash, but the finish was poor, ending up in the arms of goalkeeper Cruz.
The Hornchurch forward then went close yet again when he rounded Cruz after a loose ball broke for him on the edge of the box, but a combination of poor control and good defending from the backtracking centre-halves saw the ball roll out of play for a goal kick.
Despite a valiant effort and a flurry of late chances for both teams, the Urchins took all three points to finish with exactly 100 to their name after an admirable centenary season.
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