Horsham 2 v Arundel 0
Tuesday 12th December 2006
Sussex Senior Cup third round

reporter: Mark Wells

Horsham strolled to a surprisingly comfortable victory over County League side Arundel to edge them closer to a second successive Sussex Senior Cup Final appearance. The visitors, second in the County League, were expected to provide testing opposition for John Maggs’ side who were still licking their wounds after a 4-0 hiding against Margate at the weekend but, despite the absence of Gary Charman, Carl Rook and Tom Graves, the hosts were always in control and were rewarded by a goal at the end of each half.

With an important Ryman Premier Division clash at Tonbridge just four days away, manager John Maggs and son Colin worked tirelessly throughout the day to ensure that the Queen Street pitch was playable and thus enable Charman to serve his one match suspension ahead of the weekend’s vital clash but the heavy rain that met referee Lloyd Rendell’s opening whistle left players struggling to keep their footing during the early stages. The match began in controversial style with the Hornets having a goal ruled out inside the opening ninety seconds. Jose Goncalves’ pass fell kindly for Nigel Brake whose left foot cross dropped at the feet of Jacob Mingle to loop a shot off the outstretched boot of James Bennett, over the head of Arundel ‘keeper Ben O’Connor and into the back of the net. However, the home fans’ joy was short lived as the assistant referee’s raised flag indicated an infringement by Dan Rice at the far post and the effort was ruled out. Lee Carney, making his first start since early November, curled a shot over the crossbar and O’Connor blocked bravely from Ryan Rummery after spilling a free-kick into the striker’s path as the hosts made a promising start. Captain Eddie French glanced Brake’s cross over the top before Goncalves had the best of the early chances, cutting inside his marker but somehow contrived to send a woeful shot into the car park from just ten yards. The visitors had failed to mount any attacking moves worthy of note yet only the linesman’s flag prevented them from taking the lead after thirty-three minutes when Matt Huckett’s shot deflected off French and into the path of his brother, Mike, who converted adroitly from close range. Fortunately for the Hornets, Huckett had strayed into an offside position and so became the second player to have a goal disallowed. However, this was an isolated moment of action inside the Horsham goalmouth with most of the play confined to the Arundel half and Rummery was almost put through by Carney’s intelligent pass only to be tackled superbly on the edge of the penalty area with Mingle showing good skill to gather up the loose ball and clip a delightful cross into the penalty area that just eluded Rice. The debut-making forward then turned provider when his quick feet were no match for the full-back, moving in from the far corner and sending in a good cross that the incoming Carney could only head over the top. With a half-time stalemate looking on the cards for the third match in a row, the home side went ahead. Rummery held the ball up well, enabling Carney to join the attack, and his excellent low ball was turned in at the far post by Mingle for his second of the season. The goal was fine reward for the former Ashford Town midfielder whose influence continues to grow with each game and his energetic performance was the highlight of a solid Horsham display.

With the goal advantage, Horsham fans were expecting their side to step up a gear and extend their lead in the second half against a team that had shown little sign of that which had gone eight games unbeaten prior to this match. The increasingly heavy pitch, and Arundel’s inactivity in recent weeks (just one game played in the last four weeks) had combined to reduce the visitors’ threat and the second period continued with the Hornets very much in the ascendancy. That the County Leaguers trailed by a solitary goal was down to the home side’s misfiring forward line, rather than defensive heroics, but Rummery’s neat flick on to Rice gave indication that the two might begin to forge an understanding although Rice’s enthusiasm saw the move collapse after he pulled back Alex Duncan. The former Woking reserve then headed Brake’s deep cross over the ‘bar, as the hosts attacked down the slope, and Lewis Taylor fired his shot off target. A strong challenge on Goncalves left the wideman needing attention for what appeared to be cramp and, when Cliff Cant raised the number twelve card aloft, most supporters assumed it was the Portuguese man who would be replaced but it was Rice who left the field in a surprise move with John Westcott joining the fray. Carney almost doubled the lead when Stuart Myall’s fancy footwork bamboozled the full-back to set up a shooting opportunity but Carney’s typical piledriver cannoned away off the woodwork with O’Connor well beaten. Taylor was shown the yellow card for a dangerous challenge on Stuart Hack but it was the Horsham man who came off worst, lasting just two further minutes before making way for Matt Geard having taken a nasty blow to the shin. A rare attack from the visitors saw Mike Huckett advance and send in a right foot shot that zipped past Mansfield’s near post although the Horsham stopper looked to have had the shot covered. A poor clearance from the ‘keeper almost presented Arundel with an opening but, when Matt Huckett skipped past French, Brake was on hand to clear as far as Mike Huckett who produced a good save from the apologetic Mansfield. Good interplay between Goncalves and Brake resulted in a great cross that Rummery headed onto the roof of the net and Myall fired wide following a spell of head tennis in the Arundel box. Tiring limbs resulted in a number of late challenges that saw Duncan and Rummery yellow carded for clumsy tackles before Arundel began to enjoy some decent possession for the first time in the match. However, it was the hosts who continued to create the chances and determination from Kevin Hemsley sent the ball in towards the near post where a defender blocked Rummery’s flicked effort to concede a corner. Carney was guilty of a glaring miss, a quarter of an hour from the end, when Westcott’s corner was helped on by Rummery but Carney uncharacteristically blasted over from six yards. Mullets’ manager Vic Short introduced fresh legs, in the form of Dave Walker, Mike Bailey and Chris Bowyer, and the visitors quickly won themselves a corner that Chris Couzens wasted when he slashed wildly at the cross, slicing the ball away from goal. Rummery should have wrapped things up when Geard’s strong challenge forced a loose ball into his path but, like many before him, he got his aim all wrong and his shot ended up in the Cowshed. He didn’t have long to wait before re-opening his Hornets account though, sealing the win a minute from time with his first Horsham goal since 12th April 2005. Goncalves’ dazzling run down the left flank took him from inside his own half to the Arundel goal-line before cutting the ball back for Rummery to clip home past O’Connor’s despairing dive to leave the Arundel defence crestfallen. The home side might have made it three, a minute later, when Carney cut inside to release Geard who picked out Goncalves in turn but he couldn’t keep his shot down under pressure from two defenders. They came closer still, in injury time, when Carney’s shot was pushed out by O’Connor into the path of Westcott but Duncan tracked back well to prevent a certain goal, lunging full-length to turn the shot behind. A rare lapse by the home side almost saw Arundel claim a late, late consolation when skipper Jim Smith headed Matt Huckett’s corner narrowly over the crossbar but the home side held firm to make it five clean sheets in eight games to join Worthing, Eastbourne Borough, Hailsham Town and Hassocks in the quarter-final draw.

Horsham: 1.Alan Mansfield 2.Stuart Myall 3.Nigel Brake 4.Eddie French 5.Kevin Hemsley 6.Lewis Taylor (Geard) 7.Jacob Mingle 8.Lee Carney 9.Ryan Rummery 10.Dan Rice (Westcott) 11.Jose Goncalves Substitutes: 12.John Westcott 14.Tom Graves 15.Matt Geard 16.Dean Wright 17.Rob Frankland