Hornchurch shake off cup past to target Blackpool scalp

While West Ham United changed their manager again this week, for the fourth time in two-and-a-half years, the boss of a club 15 miles down the road knows he is more secure in his job. That is because Daryl McMahon is not only the manager of Hornchurch, he is also part of the National League club's ownership group. It is no surprise the Urchins want to keep McMahon locked in. The 42-year-old has steered them to two promotions in three seasons, taking them from the seventh-tier Isthmian Premier Division to the National League. On Saturday, McMahon will be hoping to add the scalp of a former Premier League side to his CV, when Blackpool visit in the first round of the FA Cup. Hornchurch have been to this stage before, but not since 2008, when - as AFC Hornchurch - they lost 1-0 to Peterborough United. Although it has since been removed, the 'AFC' in their name hints at a phoenix club. But that only tells half of the story. 'The party is over' In the early 2000s, Hornchurch FC - the original club that could trace its origins back to the 1923 formation of Upminster Wanderers - were awash with cash. An injection of funds from the Carthium Group helped fire them from the lower tiers of the Isthmian League to the top of Conference South. Former Chelsea goalkeeper Dmitri Kharine, ex-Ipswich defender Mark Venus and former Spurs midfielder Darren Caskey all played for the club during this time. By 2004, the wage bill was reportedly £1.2m a year. A team of full-time players, many with Football League experience, had also made it to the first round of the FA Cup. Then came the news they could not afford to hear. Carthium Group had collapsed and funds were no longer available to pay their players, who were all released. As the then chairman Gary Calder put it - "the party is over". To fulfil the FA Cup tie against League Two Boston United, Hornchurch fielded a team of six hastily acquired debutants and five youth team players. They lost 5-2. Almost 100 players were used before the club folded at the end of the 2004-05 season. They were reborn as AFC Hornchurch in the Essex Senior League, and the journey began again. 'Sustainable pathway to the EFL' McMahon has been a key part of their recent history. The man who led Ebbsfleet United to promotion from National League South, and then took them to within two wins of the English Football League, only to lose a National League play-off semi-final to Tranmere Rovers, is aiming to go further with Hornchurch. The partnership is seemingly baked in, and the ambition shared. When the manager agreed his latest contract extension in the summer, Hornchurch chairman Alex Sharp said McMahon "will become part of the ownership group of the club, as we look to build a sustainable pathway to deliver EFL football for Hornchurch within the next five years." A home game with Blackpool, then, is less a shot at one-off glory, and more a dress rehearsal for what they hope will become a more regular occurrence. National League