Stones hammered by Hornchurch

Jan 7 2011 By Jon Batham

NEW Year’s Day clearly does not agree with Wealdstone!

The Stones opened 2011 with a 3-0 home defeat at the hands of the play-off chasing Urchins, continuing an all too familiar trend - they have not won a January 1 fixture since their last season at Lower Mead in 1991.

Here, Bartlett’s men - missing the now departed Kieron Forbes down the right and the unavailable Danny Spendlove on the opposite flank were outplayed for long periods by the stronger and sharper visitors.

They were further disrupted by the loss through injury of Scott Fitzgerald at half-time and if it had not been for the heroics of Jonathan North in goal, the winning margin would have been greater.

Peter Dean went close in a bright first 20 minutes for Stones, but the Essex visitors then took over and it needed North to produce a fantastic reaction save to deny Tanbeson Eyong just before the half hour.

Nevertheless, Hornchurch were in front just a few minutes later as Lewis Smith side-footed home.

And within five minutes it was 2-0 when Billy Coyne headed home an excellent cross.

Stones might have got back in it if substitute Greg Ngoyi could have got a touch on James Hammond’s great cross from the flank.

But Michael Ramkin bundled in the third in stoppage-time to complete a miserable day for the hosts.

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