Tuesday 18th February 2008
HORNCHURCH 1 HORSHAM 2
HFC- Dale Brightly – Donny Barnard – Danny Glozier – John Purdie © - Richard Goddard – Andy Tomlinson – Frankie Curley – Dean Green – Kris Lee – Harry Elmes - Elliot Styles
Subs – Jim McFarlane - Jamie Richards for Elmes 68 – Des Boateng for Styles 68 –Michael Brothers for Green at half time – Mark Janney

Not he real HFC – Paul Seuke – Yinka Salaam – Stuart Myall - Eddie French © - Andy Howard – Jason Ward – Tom Graves - Lewis Taylor – Lee Farrell – Chamal Fenelan – Stefan Cox
Subs – Kevin Hemsley – Matthew Geard for Cox 76 – Steve Davis for Farrell 90+2 – Simon Austin for Ward 64 – Alan Mansfield

Scorers – Graves 18 (Hors) – French 27 (Hors) – Frankie Curley 68 (H)
Bookings – Graves 20 (Hors) – Tomlinson 34 (H) - Cox 49 (Hors) – Austin 74 (Hors) – Goddard 84 (H) - Farrell 90+1 (Hors)

Weather – 3 degrees at start, 1 degree at finish, wind speed zero, slightly misty.
Officials – D Rock with J Pope and J Pickford
Attendance 355
Duration 46.00 + 51.02

HORNCHURCH 1 HORSHAM 2
No sign of the octogenarian hooligan, who amazingly had not been banned, and thankfully no sign of the gang of yobs who hurled abuse from behind the dug out at the away match. A very soft pitch and mist hanging around the floodlights, with Urchins kicking towards the windmill end of the ground, with the referee’s assessor once again present.

Urchins started well, Danny Glozier’s long free kick being punched clear by Seuke, but Horsham took up the running when Myall made ground and centred, Richard Goddard’s header only going as far as Farrell, whose first time shot from the edge of the area was on target and well saved by Brightly. A Horsham free kick was then only part cleared by Green, and Taylor came in quickly to hammer his shot high over the bar. Green was put clear by Purdie and his pass found Elmes, who played the ball low into the path of Styles, whose hard shot was only inches wide of the post.

Fenelon received a good pass out on the left and he turned inside of Barnard and played the ball back to Cox, whose high cross into the middle was turned back to Brightly by Purdie. Cox tried again to make ground but was dispossessed by Barnard who played a long pass out to Green, who rounded the defender to cross into the middle where Elmes saw his header skim the post. Horsham took the lead after 18 minutes when TOM GRAVES found himself unmarked in the middle to slot home a cross from the left side of the pitch, and Urchins almost levelled soon after when Green made a penetrating run through the middle only to be hacked down by Graves, who escaped with just a yellow card, having effectively prevented a goal. Elliot Styles took the free kick, the ball again skimming the post. With Urchins pressing, a Green cross was deflected behind by Myall, but Tomlinson’s corner came to nothing, and Horsham went further ahead when Fenelon came in from the left, and Goddard tackled to concede a corner. The ball came over, and a mix up in the defence seemed to have gone unpunished until EDDIE FRENCH saw his mis-timed shot trickle across the line, via a defender, the goal standing despite loud appeals for hand ball.

Urchins struggled for the remainder of the half, though the closest Horsham came to a goal was when Myall hit a free kick yards wide. The crowd were annoyed at the continual time wasting tactics of the visitors, and shortly before half time Urchins almost reduced the lead when Barnard was scythed down by a dreadful tackle by Fenelon, who escaped without any card. Barnard took the free kick, found Purdie and thence on to Green, whose cross saw a tremendous goalmouth scramble, with shots from Lee and Elmes blocked before the ball rebounded off a defender for a corner, which Tomlinson took and Howard cleared.

A search for the octogenarian hooligan at half time came to nothing – perhaps she was banned after all – and a much more determined Urchins came out for the second half, with Michael Brothers coming on to play on the left wing at first, before moving more into the centre. Brothers and Curley combined well before Ward intercepted the low cross into the middle, and Brothers then picked out Kris Lee, with Howard tackling well. Elmes played a neat pass inside to Curley, who touched on to Tomlinson whose first time shot was blocked, and Brothers then saw his cross headed back to Seuke by Ward. A long throw by Brothers was turned out for a corner, and Tomlinson floated the ball over, and Styles came up to head powerfully goalwards, the ball just skimming the bar. Kris Lee tried a solo run through the middle, and then turned the ball in to Brothers who was tackled by French, whilst in a rare Horsham break away a corner was conceded which resulted in some consternation in the defence before Purdie cleared. Time wasting tactics were the order of the day, with the referee doing little to prevent it, as Urchins surged forward, and Elmes made a good run before crossing to Kris Lee, whose overhead kick dropped onto the roof of the net. With the crowd increasingly annoyed by the visitors tactics, Urchins continued to press, and a Lee cross found Styles, whose first time volley brought a magnificent save from Horsham’s player of the match, keeper Seuke, who tipped the ball over the bar. Tomlinson took the corner, and the ball was headed out for a corner over the other side, which Tomlinson again took, the ball being cleared, only to be played straight back again, and from the resulting cross FRANKIE CURLEY hammered the ball home. It was now one long siege on the Horsham goal, punctuated with much time wasting.

Barnard sent over a good free kick, one of many awarded against the visitors, and Curley’s shot was deflected out for another corner, again taken by Tomlinson, and cleared by Howard. Barnard’s penetrating run was topped by yet another foul, this time by Austin who had not long been on the field, and yet another yellow card was waved at the visitors, and from the free kick Tomlinson swerved the ball across goal, with no one able to take advantage. Brothers moved into the middle to set Richards up, and Jamie touched on to Barnard and his cross found Lee whose header was directed wide of the post. Curley then played a long ball up to Lee, who turned but hooked his shot wide. A Tomlinson free kick was punched away by Seuke and a huge goalmouth scramble ensued, with a loud hand ball appeal rejected. A breakaway at the other end saw Austin race away, his shot being well saved by Brightly. Urchins piled on the pressure and Farrell was booked and promptly substituted – why only a yellow? – intense Urchins pressure brought no reward, with even Dale Brightly going up to the half way line to take a free kick, with two hand ball appeals in succession being rejected, but only six minutes were added on, despite the referee appearing to stop his watch on numerous occasions, and the visitors held out to take the three points. Horsham are arguably one of the best teams in the league but they won themselves few admirers with their argumentative and delaying tactics, which screamed out for a strong referee. Hopefully the away directors will have noted the impeccable behaviour of the home supporters.