Sam Ling sent Hornchurch into the national league for the first time in their history with a 117th-minute winner in a 3-2 extra-time victory over Torquay United on 9 May 2026. The result lifted Hornchurch into the fifth tier after a season that ended with them finishing second in National League South.
Hornchurch 3, Torquay United 2
Deon Moore put Torquay ahead with an early volley, and Dominic Poleon levelled from the penalty spot just before half-time. Moore struck again to restore Torquay's lead, but Henry Hearn dragged Hornchurch back level in the second minute of stoppage time before Ling settled the final in the 117th minute.
That finish turned a final Hornchurch had to chase twice into a promotion-clinching win. Arthur Nasta stood behind them in goal, while Seb Stacey was the last line for Torquay in a game that stretched deep into extra time before the decisive strike.
Torquay United's lost chance
Torquay had reached the final after beating Dorking Wanderers in the semi-final last week, but the defeat leaves them set for a fourth season in the sixth tier. They were top of the table in February before a seven-game winless run ended their title hopes, and the search for stability has already included Paul Wotton's departure, a spell with Neil Warnock as caretaker manager, and Jimmy Ball's appointment in mid-March.
Ball did steady the run enough for Torquay to finish third, with six wins and a draw from his first nine games. The late collapse in the final, though, denied them the one result that would have changed the season's ending.
Hornchurch's place next season
Hornchurch reached the final by beating Weston-super-Mare, then completed a promotion the club has never previously achieved since being reformed in 2005. They will join Worthing, AFC Fylde and Kidderminster Harriers in the National League next season, and Ling's winner put them there with one swing of his right foot.
