Isthmian Premier League: Hornchurch 2 Wingate & Finchley 3
Wingate & Finchley fought back from an early 2-0 deficit to seal a 3-2 victory over Hornchurch and make it back-to-back victories in the Isthmian Premier Division.
Goals from Ellis Brown and Chris Dickson got the Urchins off to a flyer but they were pegged back by goals from Mauro Vilhete, Charlie Edwards and the eventual winner from Billy Healey at Bridge Avenue.
The hosts had the first real chance of the game as they won an early corner, up stepped George Purcell, who delivered a superb ball into the box that picked out who headed goalbound but his effort was denied by Myles Roberts in the third minute of play.
Both sides then failed to take control of the fixture until Hornchurch started to push on and found themselves in luck as Ellis Brown opened the scoring in the 15th minute.
The pacey winger was played through on goal by striker Chris Dickson where he slotted the ball into the bottom left corner as a Wingate defender slipped over.
Former Charlton Athletic frontman Dickson then drilled a shot from distance five minutes later and Brown almost chased the ball down to see it home but it just ran wide of the post.
Mark Stimson’s men then doubled their lead as Dickson found space inside the box and headed home a Brown cross into the bottom right corner in the 27th minute.
Wingate then pulled one back in the 31st minute as Mauro Vilhete’s free-kick took a deflection and trickled home.
On the stroke of half-time the visitors winger Suleiman Bakalandwa raced down the right flank but defender Hayles came across to win the ball but the wide man went down in discomfort meaning the latter was booked and Wingate were given a free-kick.
Bilal Sayoud whipped in the free-kick that was met by the head of Charlie Edwards who levelled the score.
Hornchurch manager Mark Stimson then received a booking for dissent as his bench were shouting out to the linesman.
Early in the second-half Wingate winger Bakalandwa floated a cross to Ahmed Rifat at the back post but his downwards header was excellently pushed clear by Urchins goalkeeper Joe Wright.
The visitors then took the lead in the 55th minute as striker Billy Healey headed home a Bakalandwa cross at the back post.
Hornchurch were on the back foot, but up jumped Joe Christou to win his header, then George Purcell won the next header and flicked it into Dickson but the striker tried to latch onto it first time but his effort barely reached the goal.
In the 73rd minute Hornchurch came so close to an equaliser as Dickson fired a shot on target which was denied the ball bounced out to Purcell, who laid it off for Matt Johnson, where the midfielder picked out Dickson who then had his second attempt tipped over the crossbar.
Five minutes later Wingate substitute Goldy Capela fired wide of the post as he broke through on goal on the counter attack.
Hornchurch then pushed desparetly for an equaliser but struggled to string anything together in the final third.
Hornchurch: Wright, R.Winn, Doe, Hayles, Sutton, Johnson, Clark (Onyemah 72), Christou, Brown, Dickson, Purcell.
Unused subs: Cummings, Ramsay, Thackway.
Wingate & Finchley: Roberts, Doyle, Bihmoutine, Edwards, Eales, Rifat, Bakalandwa, Tejan-Sie, Healey (Capela 71), Vilhete, Sayoud (Stirling 78)
Unused subs: Kissi, Ifil, Tweed.
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