Abingdon Town's disappointing start to the season continued last night at the Stadium when a combination of bizarre refereeing and inexperience saw the Town still without a point concede five goals in the final 30 minutes of the game against, until then, a side who had also failed to win this season. Abingdon clearly have not yet replaced with any degree of success the heart of the side that they lost during the summer months.

Town were without several key players through injury, suspension and unavailability, but one suspects they would have made little difference so lacking in confidence and ability at this level Manager Rayner's side are currently displaying. For much of the game it looked much more promising last night. Veteran Martin Shepherd after a summer of scoring runs in local club cricket has rejoined and added considerable authority to the centre of Abingdon's defence in the absence of Border and Hannah. The opening period was goal-less and although Town keeper Jenkins was by far the busiest of the two keepers apart from one thunderous free kick which ricocheted to safety from Bates the visitors defence held firm. The inability of Town's front players to retain possession and relieve the pressure was evident then and one sensed it would prove difficult for Town to retain a clean sheet for 90 minutes. So it proved. However, the opening goal owed much to a bizarre decision by the referee who adjudged Jenkins in the home goal to have gathered a back pass when, in the opinion of almost everyone else in the ground he clearly collected a deflected through ball. As is so often in these circumstances Town were punished when Bates crashed home from the resultant free kick to give Hornchurch the lead in the 66th minute.

Within a few minutes Town were level. Substitute John Gardner heading home the equaliser from a right side corner. Shortly afterwards, Oram had an excellent chance to give Town the lead, but Bowd in the home goal made an excellent save to deny him. The same player then delivered an excellent cross which no Town player was able to reach as Town enjoyed their best spell of the game.

It was soon to change. Hornchurch took the lead again in the 74th minute when their impressive striker Woolf scored the first of his 20 minute hat trick finishing clinically after combining well with skipper Hart who Town found increasingly difficult to deal with as he became more influential as Abingdon's young and physically smaller side tired in the closing stages. Cripps increased the home side's lead in the 86th minute to take the game beyond Abingdon's reach. Worse was to follow as an Abingdon side now in some disarray conceded almost identically conceived goals in the 94th and 95th minutes from Woolf to leave the final score a disappointing 5-1 which leaves Town firmly rested at the foot of the table.