HORNCHURCH 2 TORQUAY UNITED 1

Cody Cooke pulled a goal back midway through the second half, but Torquay United paid dearly for
not making more of superior possession as they suffered a frustrating defeat at Hornchurch.

Cooke’s 75th minute goal was only the Gulls’ 18th in 14 league and cup games this season, a problem
which manager Paul Wotton and consultant Neil Warnock are trying hard to rectify.
Torquay drop to fifth in the National League South table, three points behind new leaders Weston-super-Mare, but they had more than enough of the ball and pressure to have come away from Essex with at least a draw.
They did their best to force an equaliser in the closing stages, but Hornchurch goalie Mason Terry did not have too many serious saves to make.
United were without skipper Oscar Threlkeld through illness, and Wotton made two changes.
In came Finn Tonks and Will Jenkins Davies in midfield, in place of Threlkeld and Matt Carson, who dropped to the bench.
At 21, Sam Dreyer became one of United’s youngest-ever captains.
And a change in formation was also likely, with Finley Craske reverting to right-back in a four-man defence and loanee Tonks, a winger for most of his career at AFC Bournemouth, pushed on to support strikers Cody Cooke and Brad Ash.
Tonks, eager to make his new role a success, delivered an early cross in a positive start by the Gulls.
But they were badly caught out by Hornchurch’s first serious attack in the seventh minute.
After Ash had been caught offside, United did not deal with the free-kick, Femi Akinwande knocked the ball down for Nash to take a touch and drive a low shot across the area and past James Hamon’s left hand...1-0 to the hosts.
Wotton had warned that Hornchurch were a big, physical side, and Torquay appeared to come off worse in that department for a while.
Nash needed to go off for treatment and, although he resumed briefly, he was replaced by Darren McQueen on the half-hour.
United had started to get the ball down and keep it by then, and it had taken a smart double-save by home keeper Terry to deny Ash and Foulston in the 25th minute.
The Gulls looked the better side on the ball, but they failed to create enough where it counted and sometimes looked vulnerable when they did give up possession.
Just such a moment saw Craske booked, for a foul to stop McQueen breaking away after Dan Hayfield had been robbed.
Wotton, as ever, wasn’t slow to take action.
A triple change at half-time saw Seymour, Mussa and Carson on for Ash, Hasani and Tonks, United going back to their usual 3-5-2 system.
They resumed in lively fashion, Mussa forcing a corner with a quality free-kick and Hayfield with a shot blocked after a slick move.
But as drizzle drifted over the Stadium in the 60th minute Hornchurch did what United failed to do for most of the afternoon – make the most of a rare chance.
Former Crystal Palace and Huddersfield forward Sean Scannell had been a threat on the left throughout, and it was his low cross which sub George Saunders, who’d only just joined the fray,slammed in off the bar... 2-0.
That goal seemed to knock the stuffing out of United for a while and, with centre-forward Cooke getting little aerial change out of Hornchurch’s muscular defence, there didn’t seem much prospect of a fightback.
Hornchurch were on top. Wotton sent on Dean Moxey for Foulston, who’d done his best to shake off an earlier knock.
Then, with the game drifting away, the hard-working Craske suddenly whipped in a low cross from the right and Cooke was at the near post to roof the chance... 2-1.
It was almost all Torquay from then on.
Craske beat three men cutting in from the right, but he unselfishly laid the ball off to Mussa instead of having a shot and a Hornchurch tackle did the rest.
Dreyer also had a real chance on a Mussa corner, but he headed over.
Terry was booked for time wasting and Hornchurch manager Daryl McMahon did his best to run the clock down with three substitutions in the last ten minutes.
But they held on, even through six minutes of added time, and United will have to dust themselves down and try and make the most of their solid home form against Chelmsford City at Plainmoor next Saturday.
Hornchurch (4-4-2) : Terry; Scott, Greenidge, Gibbs, Phillips; Wright, Scannell, Kashket (Saunders 55), Harvest; Nash (McQueen 31/Adams 90+5), Akinwande (Muldoon 83); subs not used – Clements.
Booked: Terry 83.
Torquay United (4-3-3): Hamon; Craske, Dyer, Dreyer, Foulston (Moxey 68); Hayfield, Hasani (Mussa 46), Jenkins Davies; Tonks (Carson 46), Cooke, Ash (Seymour 46); subs not used – Tomlinson.
Booked: Craske 35, Moxey 79.
Referee: Jack Willmore (Essex)