Newly promoted Hornchurch FC faced their second and longest away trip of the season in the National League as the East London outfit geared up to head to the tip of England to face league favourites Carlisle United.
Hornchurch finished second in the National League South last season and went on to secure promotion by defeating Torquay United 3-2 in the play-off final. Sam Ling, son of former Gulls boss Martin, bagged a 117th-minute winner in extra time, which saw the club promoted to the National League for the first time in their history.
The club’s backroom staff also boasts a familiar name, as former West Ham and QPR centre-back Anton Ferdinand is now part of the coaching staff at Hornchurch. This is Ferdinand’s first coaching job, and he will assist manager Daryl McMahon as ‘The Urchins’ test themselves at their highest level to date.
Hornchurch had made a bright start to life in the National League as they began the campaign a few miles south of Carlisle at Barrow FC. Goals from Joe Kizzi and Henry Hearn brought the points back down to the south in a momentous first victory at non-league football’s highest step against a team newly relegated from League Two.
Goalkeeping coach Michael Jordan revealed a video on TikTok showing how life has changed for Hornchurch, from part-time to full-time football. The trip to Barrow involved a 600-mile coach journey with an overnight hotel stay, while the journey 20 miles further to Brunton Park was slightly different.
Jordan met up with the playing staff and squad at London Euston before a long journey north, which saw another overnight stay in a local hotel. 109 Hornchurch supporters travelled up in eager anticipation of a repeat performance from the previous away game, despite the grim prospect of a 12.30pm kick-off time.
Sadly, it wasn’t to be. Carlisle showed their quality and ended up beating Hornchurch 4-1. Despite the result, the fans remained positive, with some praising the fanzone that Carlisle had opened pitchside and the effort shown on the day by the National League new boys. A crowd of just over 6,000 enjoyed the action amidst the glorious summer weather at Brunton Park.
A travel-weary Hornchurch have completed 1,220 miles in their first two National League fixtures, but thankfully, The Urchins are back in front of their home crowd on Friday night at Hornchurch Stadium as they take on Woking.