La Chiesa's three month unbeaten run came to an end
on Sunday at Coopers when they were humbled by a youthful Valence United.
After another kit clash mix up, Chiesa enjoyed the
perfect start despite missing influential midfielder
Dean Jordan. Referee Goddard failed to award a free kick for a scything tackle on Colin Williams, but the LC/DC number
15 picked himself up to launch a throw into the Valence area where Adam Jeffers made a nuisance of himself as per usual. Valence's
keeper was unable to keep a hold of the ball and Cy Taylor was on hand to scuff the ball home for his second of the season.
The drainage in the lower field at Coopers is among the poorest
in Essex, and Chiesa's pitch was feeling the brunt of the rain that had hit Hornchurch in the past fortnight or so. The playing
surface was a virtual bog, but Valence's youngsters were adapting to the surface the better of the two sides, skipping off
the surface and knocking the ball around the park as if they were playing on a persian rug. Chiesa keeper Mark Harris was
being hindered by a thigh strain that threatened to keep him out of the starting line up, and his inability to kick the ball
out meant Chiesa were unable to stem the flow oif Valence pressure.The visitors created a host of chances and hit the
woodwork before finally deservedly drawing level. A ball delivered in from their right evaded the whole Chiesa defence and
was hammered in at the far post.
Adam Jeffers fired Chiesa's only other real chance of the half
just wide, while Samuel Knowles had to seek medical attention after receiving a kick in the face, but Chiesa knew they were
lucky to be on level terms at the interval.
Nothing changed in the second half, save for Valence taking
a greater percentage of their chances. When Chiesa dallied on the ball on the left hand side, the kids from Dagenham took
full advantage and broke at pace. Harris did well to keep out the original effort, but the fact that Valence were first to
three rebounds tell you all you need to know about Chiesa's performance. The LC/DC woodwork was struck twice more before a
diving header finally put the way side into the lead. Warren Hardwick was complaining of a foul, Dennis Peck swore blind it
was handball, while others were claiming offside, but the truth was Chiesa were getting all they deserved, and it was soon
to get worse.
Within minutes it was three when a through ball split the CHiesa
defence and Harris could only help the ball into the back of the net, and then it was four in similar style when Chiesa's
offside trap failed them.
Things could have been different had Peck's mazy run ended with
a goal rather than a shot that went just wide, or if Iain Gay's twenty yard volley not rebounded off the crossbar, but
Valence also had chances to extend their lead, and their could be no doubt that the best team were in front. Danny Trew was
sent on to replace Steve McCarthy as Chiesa went 3-4-3 in an attempt to salvage something but it was to be to no avail.
Colin Williams gave the scoreline a more respectable look when
he fired home a last minute penalty, earned by Dennis Peck, for his fourth goal in four games - ironic to think that
he scored in the last minute from a dead ball situation
the previous time the two sides met - but that was to earn his side three precious points. This time it was just to take
the edge of a bad day for La Chiesa.
LCDC; (4-4-2) Harris; McCarthy (Trew), Riley,
Hardwick (Hodsell), Soteriou; Taylor, Gay, Knowles, Williams; Jeffers, Peck
Gols - Taylor, Williams (pen)
Tarjetas Amarillas - Jeffers, Soteriou
Arbitro - M Goddard
