WITHAM TOWN AFC 0 HORNCHURCH 4

Ryman League division north

Witham Town were unable to get the three points they need to ensure Ryman League division north safety as they were outclassed by an AFC Hornchurch side with a focus at the other end of the table.

In their battle to avoid relegation, Witham know they need another win to make sure they can’t be sucked into the drop zone, but that was never really a prospect against the Urchins.

Hornchurch are pressing for a finish in the play-off places and the three points they took from their 4-0 victory at the Village Glass Stadium were embellished by a healthy boost to their goal difference.

In fact the margin of victory should really have been greater had the visitors been more clinical with the abundance of chances they created and if it wasn’t for some good saves by home keeper Lewis Down.

Even though they came into the game on the back of a 3-2 win against Soham Town Rangers on Saturday, Witham knew they needed a strong start.

However, pressure from their play-off chasing visitors from the first whistle saw them on the back foot early and they fell behind with just seven minutes on the clock.

The opening goal came in comical fashion when a long ball pumped to the edge of the home box saw Down make a clearance but the ball clattered off the legs of one of his defenders and into the net.

While the goal had a comical edge to it, there was nothing funny about it for Witham and things then quickly got worse for them as the Urchins kept the pressure on and went further ahead.

A corner in the 13th minute was met by the head of Dave Collis and nestled in the back of the home net to turn the hill into a mountain that Witham had to climb.

The hosts were then thankful to Down for a smart save soon after as they struggled to claim any sort of quality possession and the game remained one-way traffic towards their own goal.

Down had to be alert again in the 28th minute when George Purcell raced clear and the Witham keeper just managed to claw his low shot away to safety.

However, he could do nothing in the 32nd minute when a cross from the right was headed in powerfully by David Knight as the visitors’ stranglehold on the game grew even tighter.

With a three-goal lead at the break, the game was all-but won for the Urchins, but they went in search of further goals after the restart as the play stayed frustratingly one-way for the hosts.

Down’s reactions came to Witham’s aid yet again in the 58th minute as he parried a bullet header from former Braintree Town player Nicky Symons from a free-kick on to the bar.

And another fantastic reaction save came five minutes later from a fiercely-driven close-range effort from another ex-Braintree player, George Purcell to keep the deficit down to just three.

However, he could do nothing to stop Knight adding his second of the game when the Urchins striker advanced across the face of the home area in the 76th minute and slotted the ball in.

It was the last of the scoring but the battles for both sides at the opposing ends of the table continue.

Witham Town: Lewis Down, Tyler Kemp, Tyler Hayes (Ryan Miles 53), Spencer Harrison, Lance Akins, Lewis Payne, Lewis Francis (Tom Holdstock 64), Max Bradford (Craig Emery 68), Scott Kemp, Nathan Koranteng, Michael Osei.

Unused subs: John Watson, Tom Robinson.