Croydon Athletic 1 v Horsham 1
Saturday 18th February 2006
Ryman League Division One

report by Jim Bravery

Lee Carney's fiftieth Horsham goal was enough to secure his side a valuable point against the division's form side. Despite the Hornets boasting a 100% record on their visits to Mayfields, Croydon Athletic represented a serious test to Horsham's quest for automatic promotion, having been beaten just once in the thirteen games since Brian Sparrow assumed the managerial reigns, and a point would represent a fair return for the visitors' endeavours. Stripped of the suspended trio of Carl Rook, Matt Geard and Andy Walker, Hornets boss John Maggs gave a first start in almost four months to Dominik Hudak whilst fit again Ian Payne was restored at left-back after illness had forced the experienced defender to sit out the previous match. Kieran Johnson capped a notable season when he was named amongst the substitutes, having represented the club at under-eighteen and reserve team level this season.

The heavy rain that had accompanied the Horsham supporters for most of their journey up the M23 appeared to have taken its toll on the pitch as the teams' pre-match warm-up routines had left it badly churned up in a scene reminiscent of that at Leatherhead's Fetcham Grove two weeks before. Incredibly, we almost had a repeat of that sensational opening at Leatherhead when, from the kick-off, Carney launched a ball out wide to Gary Charman who fought his way past Steve Gibson before laying the ball off to Jamie Taylor but the striker's shot flew wide of the target before a home player had even touched the ball. Payne delivered the next testing ball into the box but Hudak's header lacked direction and failed to test home goalkeeper Luke Garrard. The visitors continued to press forward and Garrard had to save at the second attempt, under pressure from Charman and Hudak, after a good cross from John Westcott.

A rare Croydon break saw Barry Stevens put his cross right across the box but Payne was on hand to provide a timely intervention. Croydon's uncompromising rearguard were taking no prisoners with a number of firm challenges resulting in the award of several free-kicks in promising positions. Sadly for the visitors, they couldn't capitalise on this and the Rams' former Horsham player, Gavin McGowan, came closest to opening the scoring for his old team when he sent a header narrowly over his own crossbar. Carney's lay back to Payne saw the ball whipped in the box to Taylor, but his header went wide of the goal.

Stevens had a great chance to put the Rams ahead after fifteen minutes when a poorly directed pass by Taylor, on the edge of the Rams' eighteen yard box, left a number of his team-mates out of position allowing the Croydon man to race into the Horsham penalty area only to be thwarted by Rob Frankland. The Horsham 'keeper, making a nostalgic return to the club he served for ten years, then had to be alert to pluck a dangerous Stevens cross out of the air before saving brilliantly at Andrew Martin's feet.

Horsham should have opened the scoring in the twentieth minute. Another free kick by Carney found Charman whose back header landed at the far post to the unmarked Tom Graves but he snatched at the chance and pulled the shot wide of an open goal. A couple of minutes later and Graves, in the box for a Carney throw-in, failed to put his header on target and another chance had gone. The miss was to prove costly for the Hornets when the Rams' leading scorer, Eben Allen, raced down the right touchline and cut inside Payne. With Andy Howard drawn out of position to cover his move, Allen knocked the ball into the box where slack marking allowed James Greenway to slam home the loose ball to claim his first goal of the season and give the hosts the lead against the run of play.

The inspirational Carney's creative play was being wasted in the final third of the pitch and, for a while, the Hornets struggled to retain their grip on the game with the players frequently let down by the uneven bounce of the pitch and the home side began to impose themselves, creating numerous half chances to extend their lead. McGowan was guilty of skying his shot, when well placed, and the lively Allen should have done better than hit the side netting when it looked easier to score. At the other end, Westcott was seeing a lot of the ball and two quality crosses saw both Hudak and Charman go close with headers. The sides were level just before half-time when, as so often happens, a touch of class from the Hornets produced something out of nothing. Howard knocked a ball into Taylor's feet and the little striker tried to turn his marker only to find himself surrounded by four Croydon defenders. Holding them at bay, he knocked a short ball into the path of the advancing Carney who let fly with the outside of his right boot to send an unstoppable shot into Garrard's top left hand corner from fully eighteen yards, sending the Lardy Army wild and making the half time beverage that much sweeter. Taylor just had time to send a speculative volley over the bar from Graves' cross before referee Ashley Slaughter brought the first half to a close. The half-time downpour did little to dampen the spirits of the visiting fans, still warmed by Carney's stunning strike.

The Rams made a change during the interval, replacing Stevens with Ronnie Green, but the substitute had barely time to settle as Horsham started the second period in much the same way as the first, attacking the Rams goal. They should have done better, just a minute after the restart, when Westcott's cross dropped invitingly into the box but desperate defending denied Hudak, Taylor and Mark Hawthorne and the ball was cleared. Taylor forced Garrard into a flying save a couple of minutes later when his powerful shot was pushed away. Constant pressure on the Rams goal saw Westcott's 'up and under' come down in the packed penalty area and, this time, Garrard was only able to flap at the ball and was grateful to his defender for heading behind to avert the danger. The Rams were reliant on the occasional counter attack with the visitors seemingly susceptible to the long ball. However, Hawthorne was starting to dictate proceedings from midfield and burst through the Rams defence only to be upended by Gavin Bolger. Carney's free kick caused problems inside the hosts' penalty area and, in an attempt to clear the ball, McGowan again sent his header towards his own goal, just clearing the bar, at the expense of a corner.

Over the next five minutes, Charman had a couple of chances to put the Hornets ahead. Lack of direction on the first saw the ball go wide of goal from fifteen yards and indecision cost him the second when Garrard found himself in no-man's-land but Charman elected to let the ball drop, instead of repeating last weekend's incisive looped header that earned him a goal, giving the defender chance to head the ball clear. Allen, who had looked the hosts' most likely player to break open the Hornets defence, then had to hobble from the pitch with an injury to be replaced by Charlie Stagg for the final twenty minutes. Bolger tried his luck with a long range effort that had Frankland sprawling at the foot of his post to keep out, picking up the loose ball at the second attempt. With fifteen minutes remaining, Maggs decided to give Nigel Brake a rare taste of the action, at the expense of Hudak, in an attempt to clinch all three points. Charman moved into Hudak's position alongside Taylor and, almost immediately, Taylor latched on to a through ball and advanced towards goal but, with supporting players taking up good positions around him, Taylor ignored the calls for a pass and fired his shot well wide of Garrard's goal.

A free kick at the other end saw Martin, a former Welsh under twenty-one international, fire his shot high over Frankland's goal. In the eighty-fifth minute Westcott cut inside the area but, disappointingly, lifted his left foot effort high over the bar. A minute later, Carney tried a quick free kick to Taylor but the ball was just too strong and Garrard was out to pick the ball off of Taylor's toes. Horsham had totally dominated the second half, without giving Garrard too many shots to save, and there always remained a distinct possibility of the Rams scoring a late goal and clinching the match and, twice in as many minutes, the lively McGowan fired over the 'bar when perhaps he should have done better.

But it was the Hornets who had the best chance to take all three points, deep into injury time, when Garrard's scuffed clearance fell to Charman twenty yards from goal. With no defenders near him, the pacy winger homed in on goal but the keeper atoned for his earlier mistake with a point blank stop to repel the goalbound effort and covering defenders blocked Taylor's shot from the loose ball in what proved to be the last chance of the match and the points were shared in a repeat of the scoreline in the reverse fixture back in October.

The Hornets probably feel that they deserved all three points but the lack of a finisher proved their downfall with a lot of good approach going unrewarded. Lee Carney gave another masterful performance and Mark Hawthorne bossed the second half as his influence on the side continues to grow. Results elsewhere have helped again but Maggs will probably feel that his side has dropped two points today rather than gaining one.

Croydon Athletic: 1.Luke Garrard 2.Steve Gibson 3.Mark Waters 4.James Gibson 5.Danny Cecil 6.Gavin Bolger 7.James Greenaway 8.Gavin McGowan 9.Eben Allen (Stagg) 10.Andrew Martin 11.Barry Stevens (Green) Subs: 12.Ronnie Green 14.Charlie Stagg 15.Dan Lombardo 17.Dave Hyatt

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

Goalscorers

Croydon Athletic: Greenway (24)

Horsham: Carney (42)

Att: 141