Two clubs, two dream tickets to the National League, one afternoon where only one of them turned up.
Hornchurch's first-ever fixture at this level, against fellow new boys Kidderminster Harriers, turned into exactly the kind of statement Daryl McMahon will have wanted. Joe Kizzi headed home the club's first-ever National League goal in the 19th minute, turning in a Ryan Inniss knockdown from a corner - the sort of moment Hornchurch fans will be dining out on for years. Seven minutes later Angus MacDonald turned a long ball into his own net under pressure from Henry Hearn, and Makai Welch made it three before the break with a drilled effort from just outside the box.
Kidderminster, for their part, never really got going. Levi Amantchi had an early sight of goal but was denied by Arthur Nasta, and that was about as good as it got for Paul Wotton's side, who created chances late on through Henry Sandat without ever threatening a way back into it.
It's one result, and both clubs know the National League has a habit of humbling teams who get carried away in August. But for a Hornchurch side who've never played at this level before, doing it with three first-half goals against the club they were directly compared to all summer is about as good a marker as you could put down.
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