Hornchurch beat West Ham Under-21s and sign Harry Taylor on loan from Southend
Wednesday 4 November 2026 · By Chris Lanyon
Hornchurch beat West Ham United Under-21s 2–0 in the National League Cup on Tuesday night, but a headline in the Romford Recorder says the win was not enough to take them into the knockout stage.
Pegrum gave Hornchurch the lead in the 64th minute and Loft made sure of the win three minutes from time. Both goals were set up by Alfie Massey, according to the BBC. The Recorder’s headline says Hornchurch “miss knockout stage”. The result does not count in the league table.
The club has also strengthened its squad. Southend United announced on Tuesday 3 November that Harry Taylor had joined Hornchurch on loan, in a headline that reads: “Harry Taylor Departs To Hornchurch On Loan.” The length of the loan has not been confirmed.
The cup win was a welcome result after a difficult run in the Enterprise National League. Hornchurch have lost their last three league games: 2–1 at Hartlepool United on Saturday 24 October, 2–1 at home to Yeovil Town on Tuesday 27 October, and 3–1 at Fylde on Friday 30 October.
At Fylde, Hornchurch took the lead through Balanta in the 17th minute. Matthews-Lewis equalised in the 39th minute and then put Fylde ahead in first-half stoppage time, and Morris added a third in the 72nd minute. The attendance was 1,151.
With no league fixtures since then, the table is unchanged. Hornchurch are 15th on 21 points from 16 games, with seven wins, no draws and nine defeats. Hornchurch and Hartlepool are the only two clubs in the division without a league draw this season, so every game has ended in a win or a defeat. They are level on points with Woking, Kidderminster Harriers and Aldershot Town, and they are six points above 21st-placed Hartlepool, the top side in the relegation zone. Hornchurch have scored 18 league goals and conceded 26, for a goal difference of −8. Their last six league results read won, lost, won, lost, lost, lost.
The next game is a big one. Hornchurch host League One side Blackpool in the FA Cup first round on Saturday 7 November, kick-off 3pm.
When the league resumes, Hornchurch have a chance to end the losing run at home. Tamworth, who are 20th and two points above the relegation zone, visit on Saturday 14 November at 3pm. Hornchurch then travel to Wealdstone on Saturday 21 November before two more home games, against Sutton United on Tuesday 24 November, kick-off 7.45pm, and Solihull Moors on Saturday 28 November.
Three of those four league opponents are below Hornchurch in the table, so this is a good chance to put some points on the board. Taylor’s arrival adds another option for manager Daryl McMahon, and Tuesday’s clean sheet will give the side some confidence before Blackpool.
Hornchurch Stadium sits on Bridge Avenue in Upminster (RM14 2LX), a short walk from both Upminster Bridge on the District line and Upminster station on the Fenchurch Street line. It is a council-owned athletics and football ground, opened in 1956, with a listed capacity of around 3,500. A full 400-metre running track rings the pitch, so every spectator is set back from the touchline. The playing surface is a synthetic football pitch inside that oval. Visiting supporters should treat the diagram above as a working plan rather than a surveyed drawing: the two goals sit in front of the Clubhouse/Hasbeen’s Hill end and the Windmill End respectively.
For National League fixtures the club has been segregating matches unless it advertises otherwise. Away fans enter via Abraham Court, opposite The Windmill pub on Upminster Road, then follow the public footpath to a dedicated turnstile block next to the away section. Home supporters use the main entrance off Bridge Avenue. Away turnstiles usually open ninety minutes before kick-off and close half an hour after it. Tickets for visiting supporters are sold in advance through Hornchurch’s box office; online sales typically close around midday for Saturday games. Prices move with the season and opposition, but recent National League figures have been in the region of £20 online for adults, with concessions and young adults cheaper and under-12s free with a paying adult. Check the club site on the morning of travel, because construction work for ground grading can change capacities from week to week.
The current away allocation is on the Riverside side of the ground: roughly 160 unreserved covered seats in the Rom Valley Glass & Glazing Stand plus adjacent open and partly covered terracing toward the Windmill End, with a working away capacity of about 600. A raised wheelchair viewing area sits on the open terrace and is reached by a ramp; book it through [email protected] at least a day ahead. The Colin McBride Stand, also on the Riverside, honours a former chairman and sits closer to the Clubhouse end. Opposite, the Main Stand and Directors’ Box give the highest view of the pitch and are the usual home seating. Behind one goal is the clubhouse and the decked terrace nicknamed Hasbeen’s Hill; behind the other is the Windmill End. Redevelopment planned through 2026–27 will replace much of the Riverside with new covered terracing and add seats on the Eastside, so expect temporary layouts.
There is no general supporter parking on site. The car park is reserved for players, officials and pre-booked disabled bays. Street parking exists on Bridge Avenue and Brookdale Avenue; wardens are active on matchdays, so do not block driveways or sit on yellow lines. The stadium is inside the London ULEZ. From the M25, leave at junction 29, take the A127 toward London, then Hall Lane into Upminster, right at the lights onto St Mary’s Lane, and second left into Bridge Avenue; the ground is about 200 yards on the right. From Upminster Bridge tube, turn right, walk under the railway bridge and take the second right into Bridge Avenue. From Upminster mainline station the walk is ten to fifteen minutes.
Inside, bars include the Clubhouse, the Jimmy Mac Bar and the Temper Gold Bar. Reusable cups carry a small deposit. On segregated days the home clubhouse and shop are not for away fans, though club badges are often sold at the away end. Programmes are sold inside the ground. Smoking is restricted to Hasbeen’s Hill and the front gate. Bags may be searched; leave non-essentials at home. Alcohol, pyrotechnics, air horns, glass and footballs are banned. Dogs are not allowed except assistance dogs arranged in advance. The Windmill opposite the away entrance is the obvious pre-match pint. Arrive early, follow stewards to the Riverside and Windmill End, and you will be in the right place when the sides kick toward the goals in front of those two stands.