Saturday 26th January 2008
HORSHAM  3  HORNCHURCH  1
Not he real HFC – Paul Seuke – Tom Graves – Nigel Brake – Andy Howard – Kevin Hemsley © - Lee Carney – Jacob Mingle – Lewis Taylor – Lee Farrell – Chamal Fenelan – Gary Charman
Subs – Eddie French – Stuart Nyall for Hemsley 69 – Simon Austin – Matthew Geard – Alan Mansfield

SID – please note that all spelling are taken from the official team sheet as handed in to the referee.

The real HFC - Dale Brightley – Donny Barnard – Danny Glozier – John Purdie © - Jim McFarlane  – Shane Oakley - Dean Green – Des Boateng - Kris Lee – Simon Parker – John Mackie
Subs – Jamie Richards for Lee 58 – Ross Wall – Mark Janney for Oakley at half time – Frankie Curley – Andy Tomlinson for McFarlane 60

Scorers – Lewis Taylor 3 (Hors) – Lee Farrell 37 (Hors)– Dean Green 45 (H) – Chamal Fenelan 74 (Hors)
Attendance 612 – 150 from Hornchurch
Officials – J Austin with B Small and B Harman
Weather – 11 degrees at start, sunny, 7 degrees and clear at finish, wind speed 5 ,ph
Duration -45.58 + 53.01
Bookings – Brake 50 (Hors) – Farrell 75 (Hors) – Mingle 81 (Hors) – Green 90 (H)

HORSHAM  3  HORNCHURCH  1
Injuries and suspensions for Hornchurch, no such problems for the home side who fielded their strongest team.  The ground is located in between the bookies, who were doing a marvellous business taking bets on the Havant result, and a mini roundabout. We found it at the third attempt, and parked in the world’s muddiest car park.

Pitch sloping slightly, and very soft, but otherwise in good condition. Debut for John Mackie, squad debut for Ross Wall. John Mackie took up a position in midfield, slotting into the role left by the suspended Elliot Styles. The crowd was 612, well up on normal, and supplemented by what seemed to be the entire canine population of Horsham – black ones, white ones, brown and white, cream, long tailed, short tailed, wherever you looked there were dogs.

Horsham are a good team, in fact they are arguably the best in the league, and they kicked down the slope in the first half towards the YMCA ground, whilst the Urchins kicked towards the world’s muddiest car park end of the ground. The home side started powerfully, using the wide pitch and the slope to advantage, Fenelan cutting in from the left and blazing his shot high over the bar into the YMCA ground. Then it was Farrell’s turn, running through on to Howard’s pass but seeing his shot well saved by Brightley. With Urchins still trying to settle into any form of rhythm, Charman rounded Barnard on the left, crossed high into the middle and LEWIS TAYLOR headed home after just three minutes, the announcer in his excitement getting the number of the scorer wrong.

With John Mackie still getting used to the style of play, Urchins struggled, but came back well when Shane Oakley took a pass from Purdie and made ground on the left, and his left footed cross found Kris Lee who flicked on to Simon Parker, whose shot was saved right on the line by keeper Seuke. Then it was Horsham again, Farrell to Fenelan who turned inside of McFarland but fired his shotover. Urchins were now beginning to gel and John Mackie won a midfield ball and sent an excellent pass up to Kris Lee who ran on but was dispossessed by Hemsley, who immediately hit the ball back up field for Carney who turned the ball back to Mingle who deflected shot brought an excellent diving save out of Brightley, to conceded a corner, which McFarlane dealt with confidently and sent a long kick up the field to Oakley who rounded Graves and centred, where Kris Lee saw his header turned over the bar by the diving Seuke, the resulting corner, being played short by Shane Oakley to Danny Glozier who could not get his cross in.

Oakley again, this time to Des Boateng, and on to Lee whose hard shot was deflected around the post by Graves who just got a foot to the ball. Once again Shane Oakley’s short corner came to nothing. By now the Urchins had found some rhythm, and Purdie sent an excellent pass up to Mackie who raced goalwards, with Howard doing well to get across to block the shot. Barnard to Boateng, and on to Parker who turned and fired his shot inches over the bar, and then a good build up out of defence saw Barnard make ground on the left and slot the ball along to Boateng whose centre found Kris Lee, whose flick was deflected around the post by a defender. Boateng took the corner and Howard handled the ball in the penalty area, but the loud appeals of 150 Urchins were ignored by the referee, to the very obvious relief of the home crowd, apart from the handful of yobs who continued to hurl abuse at the away dug out.

Back came the Urchins, Dean Green’s shot bringing another magnificent save out of keeper Seuke, with Seuke then grabbing Boateng’s corner as it came over. Horsham looked ever dangerous in attack, and when a Barnard clearance was intercepted by Charman, his resulting centre found Mingle who brought another good save from Dale, at the expense of another corner which McFarlane headed away to safety. Then it was Carney who made ground and found Brake overlapping on the left and his shot went high and wide.

The second goal followed when Fenelan’s free kick saw Brightley tip the ball out for a corner, but Taylor’s inswinging corner was touched home by LEE FARRELL. Two nil, could the Urchins come back? Yes they could, and with John Mackie rapidly gaining in authority in midfield they dominated the remainder of the half. McFarlane to Lee, on to Parker, but Simon’s shot was touched round by the alert Seuke, for a corner, which Boateng played short to Barnard, and back to Boateng, whose run to goal was halted by a somewhat dubious tackle, not that the referee cared. Glozier sent a long pass to Lee, but Graves tackled well, and with 150 Urchins urging their team on, a Glozier cross was tipped around for another corner. Shane Oakley took the corner short to Glozier, whose shot cum centre was handled by Taylor. With chants of OFF OFF OFF echoing around the ground, to use Sir Gary’s words, the ref bottled it again, and just dished out a yellow. But justice was done when the free kick was met by the leaping DEAN GREEN who powered the ball home.

At half time, the local canine population was exercised all around the ground. Whilst the home mascot, a waspish looking bee claiming to be a hornet, strutted around the ground.

Mark Janney on for Shane Oakley at half time, with Mark playing on the left wing but slightly further forward, and Urchins kicked down the slope, which had by now flattened out considerably.

Forward stormed the Urchins, Mackie dominant, and his pass out to Boateng saw the cross reach Kris Lee, whose header was turned around the post by Seuke. Boateng to Parker and another corner, which Janney took and Seuke saved well. Parker up to Boateng, up to Barnard who was chopped down in full flight – needless to say, no action was taken. By now, the home side were wasting time at every opportunity, as they tried to weather the storm of Urchins attacks. Glozier to Parker, a long run on the left, and yet another corner. Janney swerved the ball over and Seuke punched clear. Parker and Janney again interchanged passes, with Parker’s shot being brilliantly saved by Horsham’s player of the match, their keeper Paul Seuke.

Horsham came back upfield and a Carney corner went out the other side, with the referee wrongly awarding another corner, which Taylor this time took and Brightley saved. Jamie Richards came on for Kris Lee, and almost immediately created an opening for Purdie to play the ball through, with Seuke once again conceding a corner. Purdie once again, this time playing Simon Parker clear, Simon trying to lob the keeper who just managed to get his fingertips to the ball to prevent a goal. Tomlinson came on, with John Mackie dropping back to centre half, and Tomlinson continually forcing the pace up front. Purdie again to Parker and this time his lobbed shot drops onto the roof of the net. Janney to Boateng, and in to Jamie Richards who won a corner, which Janney took short, but the move was instantly broken up and the ball hammered deep upfield, where Farrell turned it inside to CHAMEL FENELAN who neatly hit the shot past Dale Brightley.

And then came an incident which upset the smooth rhythm of the visitors – it started when Farrell was put through but was yards offside, but he carried on to fire the ball yards over the bar. The referee strode up to the player, with 150 Urchins chanting OFF OFF OFF, and to the amazement of the massive away following, no fewer than three home players raced towards the referee, who appeared to be influenced into awarding just a yellow. What followed was total farce. A nice little lady who was sitting in the disabled section, jumped up, raced onto the pitch, and stood there, jumping up and down, waving her arms, and tottering around, her puce and pink coloured woollen hat pulled down over her ears, shouting incoherently at Ron and the boys, gradually getting nearer and nearer. Ron and the boys were trembling with fear - (might have been laughter). The stewards, once they had stopped laughing, rushed forward and grabbed her, and led her away.

Hilarious, but we have to realise that the referee had seen all of the incident and if he reports it in the way he should do, the ground could be closed for the rest of the season and the club heavily fined for failing to control its supporters. It also had a more serious side as the banshee boys behind the dug out increased their flow of invective.

When order was restored, with Ron and Colin still cowering in abject terror (might have been laughter, not too sure), the Urchins rhythm was completely upset and Horsham came back with Charman finding Taylor, who hit his shot into the car park. Tomlinson came forward rapidly and found Parker who raced goalwards but hammered his shot over the bar. Mingle was booked, perhaps without justification, and then Dean Green was scythed down when clear only to be on the receiving end of the yellow card for understandably not appearing too happy, whilst Farrell, already fortunate to still be on the pitch, was fortunate to escape a second yellow soon after. Danny Glozier’s free kick was well saved by Seuke, and Horsham concentrated on defence, apart from winning one more corner. Only eight minutes stoppage time was added on, well short of what it should have been.

Weather Conditions: 11 Degs. C. and Sunny at Start, 7 Degs. C. and Clear at Finish

Match Officials: Referee - Mr. J. Austin, Assistants - Mr. B. Small and Mr. B. Harman

Match duration: F/H 45 mins. 58 secs., S/H 53 mins. 01 secs.