The Bucks came from behind to win 2-1 at Hornchurch in the FA Trophy Fourth Round – despite being down to ten men for most of the second half.

The early exchanges saw each side feeling the other out, with few clear opportunities early on. The Bucks did well to repel a couple of dangerous corners from the host, while a quick freekick led to a chance for Matty Stenson on 16 minutes, but his scuffed shot went wide.

After an even start, the Urchins started to gain control of the game, and they took the lead in the 20th minutes thanks to a good strike from Henry Sandat. The young forward picked up the ball around 25 yards out before dispatching with aplomb into the top corner, giving Josh Gracey little chance in the Bucks’ goal. 15 minutes later, it could well have been 2-0 if it weren’t for some dogged, last-ditch defending by the Bucks. First, Jordan Piggott managed to turn a looping header off the line, before Jordan Cranston made a similar goalline intervention to minutes later to deny Angelo Balanta.

Hornchurch had been the better side, but the Bucks started to find their way back into the game shortly before half time. Jamie Meddows went close on 45 minutes, but his effort was well dealt with by Arthur Nasta in the Urchins’ goal. Two minutes later, the Bucks were level. A cross in from the right was met by Allen-Hadley, rebounded off the bar, and in the chaos Stenson guided the bouncing ball over the line with his head from a few yards out. 1-1 at half time.

Having scored immediately before half time, the Bucks nearly found the net immediately after the break. A poor clearance from the Urchins saw the ball fall to Remi Walker, whose snatched effort whistled just wide of the post. But with the Kevin Wilkin’s men looking to take the game to the hosts, their momentum was checked in the 48th minute when Stenson saw red after collecting a second yellow card after leaving a leg out in a challenge.

But while that might have triggered an onslaught from the home side, it was the Bucks who seized the initiative. In the 53rd minute, Cranston’s long throw into the box was flicked on to Walker, who hammered it home at the back post. Walker then nearly made it 3-1 four minutes later, but his long range effort cannoned back off the bar.

A goal down, National League South title contenders looked to pile the pressure on the the ten-man Bucks. But Wilkin’s men defended stoutly, and while the were a few penalty box scrambles, the Bucks largely limited the number of good chances that the hosts could create. Sandat, Balanta and Tom Wraight were all denied by Gracey, while at the other end the Bucks were looking dangerous on the counter attack. On 81 minutes, Allen-Hadley raced through with a defender at his back, but he couldn’t find a way past Nasta, who did well to keep the tricky Telford man’s effort out. Meanwhile, five minutes later, Ola Lawal missed a wondeful opportunity to put the game to bed. Arriving onto the ball from a Cranston free-kick, Lawal opened his body but couldn’t make the contact needed to guide the ball past Nasta.

As the game moved into added time, the Urchins were throwing the kitchen sink at. Their best opportunity came in the 93rd minute when a cross was headed back across goal and Henry Hearn attempted an overhead kick at the far post, but thankfully for the Bucks he made an almighty mess of it and the ball went wide. Wilkin’s men saw out the remainder of the game to claim a 2-1 win and with it a place in the Fifth Round, where the Bucks will face at the SEAH Stadium on 31 January.