By Bailey Howard
Hornchurch produced a pulsating, dramatic and unforgettable display on Derby Day, Ex Dagger Josh Rees scoring deep into stoppage time to haunt the daggers and secure a sensational 3–2 victory over Dagenham & Redbridge at Victoria Road and send the travelling Urchins home delighted with the win to remain top of the league.
In front of a fierce atmosphere, with majority of the noise pouring out of the away end, Daryl McMahon’s side showed attacking quality, resilience and huge character to claim local bragging rights in a contest packed with chances, controversy and late drama.
Ex Dagenham Manager Daryl McMahon, who’s the boss of the Urchins, named a strong starting eleven for the derby, with two changes from last time out in league action, bringing in inform Henry Sandat and ex experienced dagger Myles Weston replacing Darren McQueen and Nathan Bertram-Cooper, who both drop to the bench.
The game got underway and the Urchins started brightly and immediately putting the hosts under pressure. An early Daggers corner was comfortably dealt with before Junior Morias tested the home keeper with a sharp strike inside four minutes.
The breakthrough though arrived on seven minutes, with Hornchurch opening up the game in fashion. A corner from the right was worked back across goal by Harry Gibbs and Gile Phillips reacted quickest, turning the ball home infront of the 1,100 away faithful to give Hornchurch a deserved early lead, Dagenham 0–1 Hornchurch.
Dagenham responded and Arthur Nasta was called into action on eight minutes, producing an excellent save to tip a long-range effort around the post.
The home side enjoyed a spell of pressure, but Hornchurch remained dangerous on the break as lovely football was being played on thirteen minutes and ended up with Henry Sandat seeing an effort blocked, before Josh Panter’s free-kick on seventeen minutes drifted agonisingly wide.
Chances continued to flow for Hornchurch as Myles Weston reached the byline on twenty-four minutes and crossed for Tom Wraight, whose header cleared the bar, but Dagenham’s forward Stanley Leech responded at the other end with a header over, while minutes after, Sandat and Wraight both went close as Hornchurch continued to threaten.
The game remained competitive and physical, with Sandat and Aaron Henry both picking up first-half bookings, but the Urchins struck a huge blow just before the break. On forty-five minutes, Weston bursted down the right and delivered a superb cross, which was met perfectly by Sandat at the far post with a wonderful header past Kai Mckenzie-Lyle to double Hornchurch’s advantage infront once more of the away fans, Dagenham 0–2 Hornchurch.
Half-Time – Dagenham & Redbridge 0–2 Hornchurch
The second half kicked off and Dagenham came out with renewed intent and they pulled one back on fifty-two minutes S Reggie Young floated a ball into the box and Leech nodded home to reduce the deficit, Dagenham 1-2 Hornchurch.
McMahon responded swiftly, introducing Makai Welch for Henry, but as the Daggers pushed forward, Hornchurch were forced to dig deep, with Gile Phillips producing an outstanding covering tackle to deny Dylan Stephenson on the break, and Nasta watching anxiously as Reggie Young saw two efforts cleared off the line, before Stephenson fired an effort into the side netting on sixty-six minutes.
Henry Sandat was replaced by Darren McQueen on sixty-eight minutes, and the substitute was quickly involved, forcing Mckenzie-Lyle into a smart save on seventy-four minutes.
Moments later came a pivotal moment as Morias broke through on goal and was hauled back by Christian Maghoma, who was shown a straight red card by the referee, giving Hornchurch a numerical advantage for the final quarter.
The Urchins looked set to press home that advantage when Morias again surged forward on eighty-six minutes, cutting the ball back to McQueen whose effort came back off the post, but it proved a costly miss as Dagenham struck back late.
On ninety minutes, a loose ball inside the area fell to Dermi Lusala and his effort deflected off a Hornchurch player and scooped past Nasta into the bottom corner, levelling the scores and threatening to snatch the momentum away, Dagenham 2-2 Hornchurch.
The Fourth Official announced Seven minutes of stoppage time were needed to play late on and Hornchurch refused to settle for a point as Bobby Kelman was introduced, who forcing an immediate save at the near post, before the decisive moment arrived.
In the sixth minute of stoppage time, the ball was flicked on into the path of ex Dagger, who signed for the Urchins in the summer, Josh Rees, kept his composure to turn it home in the bottom left hand corner past Mckenzie-Lyle and send the away end into absolute bedlam, 2–3 Hornchurch.
Dagenham had one more chance, but the final whistle followed soon after, confirming a famous District Derby away Day victory on the road and a Boxing Day afternoon that will live long in the memory for players and supporters alike.
