Horsham 3 v Ashford Town 3
Tuesday 27th September 2005
Ryman League Division One

Reporter: Mark Wells

Horsham's brief stay at the top of the table was ended after they relinquished a 3-1 lead against visitors Ashford Town whose spirited performance belied their lowly standing. The Hornets were expected to make light of the challenge of the Nuts and Bolts who had lost each of their opening five league fixtures this season. However, four points from their last two matches has given Tim Thorogood's side new found confidence and a collective spirit that helped pull themselves back into a game that had to be looked dead and buried with barely a quarter of an hour left to play.

Horsham manager John Maggs had been forced to reshuffle his defence following the absence of Saturday's hero, goalkeeper Eric Pudaloff, and central defender John Farley. Pudaloff, who produced a string of vital saves in the weekend's victory over Whyteleafe, has moved to Birmingham where he is to attend university - a move he postponed to help Horsham overcome their recent goalkeeping crisis - whilst Farley was rushed into hospital on Monday night suffering from chest pains. Although he has since been allowed home, John has been told to rest for the remainder of the week and must be a doubt ahead of next Saturday's trip to Kingstonian. These two absentees meant recalls for Eddie French and a less than fit Rob Frankland in goal. Lee Carney kept his place in midfield after helping to turn Saturday's game after coming on as a second half substitute.

A lower than average crowd, no doubt affected by the Champions League coverage on television, were given some concern when leading scorer Jamie Taylor stayed down after an innocuous looking challenge in the very first minute of the match. Fortunately the little striker, who had scored four goals in the corresponding fixture last season, was able to continue after lengthy treatment from physio Geoff Brittain. Boorman was booked for an untidy challenge on Nigel Brake after just three minutes and it was clear that the Kent side weren't here just to make up the numbers.

Horsham made most of the early running with French shooting tamely at goalkeeper Sean Glover from John Westcott's corner and Taylor cleverly beating his marker to get a flick to Brake's near post cross but it was the visitors who took a shock lead after thirteen minutes. A deep cross from full-back Gary Croxton caught Frankland in two minds whether to come for the ball and, when French's clearance fell to Boorman on the edge of the penalty area, the Ashford number seven sent a speculative shot goalwards that Frankland could only help into the net.

Horsham tried to hit back three minutes later when an Ashford attack broke down and a quick break upfield involving Brake, Carney and Taylor saw the latter tee up Mark Hawthorne but the midfielder's low shot went wide. A Brake free-kick, following a foul on Andy Walker, saw French's header go straight at the goalkeeper and Tom Graves headed Westcott's corner over the crossbar after Taylor's shot was blocked.

French was then knocked off the ball, twenty yards from goal, and Boorman looked up and curled a shot narrowly over the top of Frankland's goal. Taylor almost claimed a spectacular equaliser on thirty-one minutes but his turn and volley wouldn't have counted as referee Greg Smith had blown for a push. A hoofed clearance from Croxton then sent Joby Thorogood scampering clear of Horsham's back line but Frankland was smartly off his line to intercept, five yards outside his penalty area. Despite his all-too-rare ability to win headers or control the ball cleanly, Dominik Hudak was causing the Ashford defence problems and he almost created an opening just before the break when he out-muscled Marc Cumberbatch in the visitors' penalty box but the joint-manager reacted well to get the ball clear, sparking a swift break that saw Solomon Henry and Boorman combine to fashion an opening that Boorman clipped just too high.

A minute later and Horsham were level. Carney's free-kick was met by a towering header at the far post by Brake that had 'keeper Glover clutching thin air and Taylor was on hand to nod the ball into the empty net to the relief of the home supporters.

Horsham went ahead just three minutes after the interval when Brake's free-kick was handled in the penalty area by Croxton and Carney stepped up to coolly convert the spot kick. That lead was extended eight minutes later when Westcott's right wing corner was met by an unmarked French who claimed his second goal of the season from close range. With the comfort of a two goal lead, Horsham began to play some attractive football and a neat triangle involving Brake, Ian Payne and Carney saw Brake deliver a good ball in to the near post where Hudak's challenge saw the ball fall for Taylor but his shot was easy for Glover. The Ashford goalkeeper then inadvertently threw the ball against the back of one of his own defenders but Hudak was unable to capitalise.

Former Horsham favourite Tom Adlington was booked for a cynical challenge on Hudak after sixty-four minutes and was substituted four minutes later but not before Ashford had seen a goal disallowed when Duncan clattered into Frankland after the 'keeper had caught Boorman's free-kick sending the ball, and the Horsham man, into the back of the net.

The hard-working Joby Thorogood, son of Ashford manager Tim, won his side a corner on sixty-eight minutes that was laid off to Denver Birmingham and his first time effort dropped tantalisingly wide of the far post. Two minutes later, Graves' desperate tackle on Thorogood saw the loose ball fall to Terry McCann but his shot was comfortably saved by Frankland.

Hawthorne then delivered a superb forty yard pass into the path of Brake and his cross was headed on by Hudak but Glover bravely punched clear off the head of Westcott. That was Hudak's last contribution to the game as Maggs decided to replace the big target man with Frenchman Florian Mateos and the former Worthing player was involved in the Hornets' next move. Collecting a pass from Taylor, Mateos cleverly back heeled the ball to Westcott who cut inside but his left foot shot was blocked by Duncan and Taylor blazed the rebound high over the Cowshed stand.

The home side were very much in the ascendancy at this stage and another swift move led to a corner that saw Mateos turn well inside the eighteen yard box but his shot was blocked by some desperate defending. In what appeared to be a final throw of the dice for the visitors, Gary Clarke replaced Birmingham with fourteen minutes left and the substitution paid immediate dividends. The Horsham defence seemed to lose concentration, allowing Stuart Bradshaw space inside the penalty area to square the ball and Payne's attempted clearance saw the ball rear up and hit him on the arm, prompting Mr Smith to point to the penalty spot. Boorman stepped up to confidently strike he ball over the body of the diving Frankland to reduce the arrears and set up a nervy finale for the Horsham supporters. Two minutes later, a cross into the Hornets box was only half cleared by Brake and Boorman drilled a right foot shot across the face of goal that was deflected just wide of the far post and, from the resulting corner, Croxton's cross dropped onto the roof of the net.

Frankland's urging of his players to settle down went unheeded as the visitors were scrapping hungrily for every loose ball and Boorman, who was arguably Ashford's most threatening player, delivered a fine cross to Thorogood whose volley was safely gathered by Frankland.

Ashford were to get their reward on eighty-four minutes. Graves was booked for a foul on Henry, ten yards in from the touchline, and, when the free-kick was pumped into the area, a posse of players challenged for the ball only for it to drop to Duncan who scrambled the ball home to the delight of the small group of Ashford supporters behind the goal. Three minutes later, Frankland denied Ashford an improbable winner when Bradshaw held off the challenge of Graves before teeing up Thorogood and his venomous strike produced a fine save.

Injury time allowed the hosts one final attack and, when Carney threaded the ball through to Graves, the blonde-haired defender went down under a challenge from a defender provoking shouts for a penalty from the home fans. Referee Smith decided that a corner was the outcome and Westcott's cross was headed over by Brake with Horsham unable to reproduce the last minute heroics of Saturday.

Horsham: 1.Rob Frankland 2.Andy Walker 3.Ian Payne 4.Tom Graves 5.Eddie French 6.Mark Hawthorne 7.Lee Carney 8.John Westcott 9.Jamie Taylor 10.Dominik Hudak (Mateos) 11.Nigel Brake Subs: 12.Andy Howard 14.Matt Geard 15.Florian Mateos 16.Carlo Castrechino 17.James Cant

Ashford Town: 1.Sean Glover 2.Tom Adlington (Humphrey) 3.Gary Croxton 4.Marc Cumberbatch 5.Lynvall Duncan 6.Terry McCann 7.Richard Boorman 8.Denver Birmingham (Clarke) 9.Joby Thorogood 10.Shaun Bradshaw 11.Solomon Henry Subs: 12.Gary Clarke 14.Eddie Achoko 15.Anthony Pace 16.Steve Humphrey 17.Jahzel Bonaparte

Goalscorers

Horsham: Taylor (42), Carney pen (48), French (56)

Ashford Town: Boorman (13, 77 pen), Duncan (84)

Att: 210