Match Report

Hendon
1
Lancing
1
Date:
Tuesday 02 October 2018
Competition:
FA Cup
Attendance:
177
Venue:
TBA

Match Report

Hendon put in a hugely disappointing performance against Southern Combination League Lancing on Tuesday night, but they remain in the Emirates FA Cup after this second round qualifying tie ended 1-1. The replay will be on Sunday, at 3.00pm, at Culver Road, which doubles as the Sussex County Football Association Headquarters – Saturday was unavailable because co-tenants Horsham are in FA Cup action on that day.

The Greens showed a number of changes to the team which had started in the 3-0 win at Dorchester. Howard Hall, Guri Demuria, Stephane Ngamvoulou and Matty Newman were all absent, with Hall and Ngamvoulou on the bench.

Into the team came Taishan Griffith, Cole Brown - his first start in more than five weeks - Prince Mbengui and Laste Dombaxe, while Marvin Morgan was named on the bench for the first time since his car crash. Others on the expanded bench were Tyriq Hunte, William Murphy, Riccardo Alexander-Greenaway and Cheyce Grant.

As a contest, there was little to commend this match, but Lancing used the sort of tactics that gave them the best chance of victory. A formation of 5-4-1, when played with perfect discipline, is almost impossible to break down.

Hendon spent most of the first 45 minutes gorging on an excess of possession that was effectively uncontested until they got to around 30 metres from the Lancing goal. Once in that range, Lancing tackled tigerishly, hounded doggedly, and generally made life miserable for the green wave.

The men from Sussex - who were missing half a dozen likely starters and had 16-year-old Nick Di Arienzo making his first appearance in senior football - were determined to attack only on the counter, but their delivery forward was lacking in discipline because Jack Langford was caught offside three or four times.

They had one shot at goal and it was well off target. One other moment of worry for the Hendon defence was a short backpass but, Luke Tingey and Danny Boness just about dealt with the danger.

At the other end, the Greens created chance after half-chance, but rarely forced Tyler D'Cruz into making a save. Frustration seemed to rise quite quickly because both Dombaxe and Mbengui tried their luck with efforts from more than 25 yards out and the ball flew high into the night sky.

The deadlock was broken after 24 minutes when Hendon attacked down the left side. When the ball came to Shaquille Hippolyte-Patrick, who had swept a good chance over the bar five minutes earlier, the angle seemed far too acute for a shot, but he tried it anyway and the ball ended up in the goal.

This should have eased the Hendon nerves and allowed them to play in a more measured style, but the same pattern continued. Brown fired just wide after 31 minutes and, three minutes later, Ricardo German forced a low save from D'Cruz, but it was little more than routine.

In the opening half of the second stanza, Hendon's chances, if anything, got better. Brown headed over the crossbar when it seemed easier to score, two or three goalmouth scrambles led to blocks or inaccurate passes denying even the chance of a strike and Brown saw another effort well saved.

It took until the 57th minute, for Lancing to register a shot on target, Langford's effort not troubling a tumbling Boness. Seven minutes later, however, the Lancers blew a great chance. A free-kick was curled into the penalty area, where Alex Bygraves rose high at the far post and, unmarked, planted his header wide of the upright.

D'Cruz produced a superb double save as Hendon ramped up the pressure. Hendon then made their first change with Morgan replacing Reece Mitchell and within two minutes, he was just wide with a clever flick. With 15 minutes to go, Hendon made their second - and final - change as Murphy replaced Brown.

In the 76th minute, Lee Chappell curled in a free-kick which beat D'Cruz, but the ball did not dip in time, clipping the top of the crossbar. And, within 60 seconds, the fears of all Hendon fans' were realised as Lancing equalised.

A ball downfield went between Romario Jonas and Tingey and suddenly Langford had a clear run at goal. Boness came off his line to narrow the angle, but Langford drilled the ball past him with great confidence.

Hendon's response was a multitude of harum-scarum moments in the Lancing penalty area, with Mbengui being denied by a superb save from D'Cruz. However, the midfielder, with almost the whole goal to aim at, should not have the given the goalkeeper even a chance of making a save.

With two minutes to go, Griffith mishit a clearance and suddenly Matt Daniel, joining Langford in attack, had a great chance to become a hero. Boness, however, was alert to the danger and produced a good save.

From one standpoint, it would have been a travesty of justice had Lancing won, but for their sheer bravery and dogged determination in keeping out Hendon - their marking of German was exceptional - a draw was the very least the Lancers deserved.

Report by David Ballheimer

Sponsors

Match:
Alan Wightman
Matchballs:
David Coote
Programme:
Janet & Tom Pevehouse

Hendon

1
Danny Boness
2
Taishan Griffith
3
Lee Chappell
4
Luke Tingey
5
Romario Jonas
6
Prince Mbengui
7
Cole Brown
8
Laste Dombaxe
9
Ricardo German
10
Reece Mitchell
11
Shaquille Hippolyte-Patrick
12
Howard Hall
13
Stephane Ngamvoulou
14
Marvin Morgan
15
Tyriq Hunte
17
Riccardo Alexander-Greenaway
18
William Murphy
19
Cheyce Grant

Match Events

24''
Shaquille Hippolyte-Patrick
Daniel Moman replaced Alex Saunders
52''
65''
Marvin Morgan replaced Reece Mitchell
Jack Webber replaced Lucas Tredea
71''
76''
William Murphy replaced Cole Brown
Jack Langford
78''

Lancing

1
Tyler D'Cruz
2
Adam Willard
3
Nick Di Arienzo
4
Alex Bygraves
5
Brad Tighe
6
Louis Pittock
7
Lucas Tredea
8
Alex Saunders
9
Jack Langford
10
Mark Pulling
11
Matt Daniel
12
Oscar Petit
13
Jack Gunn
14
Daniel Moman
15
Taku Madhlazi
16
Jack Webber
17
Dan Wood