Horsham 1 v Bromley 1
Tuesday 20th January 2007
Ryman League Premier Division

Reporter: Jim Bravery

Club officials worked overtime to ensure that this Ryman League Premier Division clash went ahead and they were rewarded as both sides put on an entertaining display in front of Horsham's third highest gate of the season. Having failed to pass a morning inspection, it was all hands to the deck as the Queen Street pitch was brought up to the required standard and, at 1.15pm, referee Lloyd Rendell declared that the match would go ahead as planned although, having seen two matches abandoned in the past three weeks, home fans were left wondering if this would run its full course. In the event, the pitch stood up quite well although players from both sides inevitably lost their footing at one stage or another with surface water in evidence in several areas.

Horsham's 3-0 win at Hayes Lane in November ranks as one of their finest in John Maggs' seven year managerial reign and it gave the Hornets the opportunity to claim an unlikely league 'double' over the Kent club, their first of the campaign. However, despite suffering an indifferent spell following that defeat, the Ravens had rediscovered their form of late and Tuesday night's win at Tonbridge Angels took them level with leaders Margate and Chelmsford City, albeit with goal difference keeping them in third place. Bromley manager, former Crystal Palace supremo Mark Goldberg, had been active in the transfer market in recent weeks and Tobi Jinadu and Kenny Kennedy lined up for their third appearances for the club since joining from Thurrock and Aveley respectively, alongside experienced midfielder and captain, Simon Osborn. Injuries meant there was no place in the side for Peter Adeniyi, Sam Wood and Jerome Sobers. For the Hornets, Stuart Myall was serving a one match suspension and Lee Carney's thigh injury continued to keep him out of the side but there was a debut for Lee Farrell who joined the club for a month's loan on Friday, the Lewes man joining Carl Rook in attack.

Before the match, a minute's silence was respectfully observed for the West Sussex County Times' first ever sports editor, Basil Dawson, who had passed away during the week, before a familiar honk from Brian the Horn, and the referee's whistle, signalled the start of the match with the home side attacking down the slope. Much of the early exchanges were being played in the boggy areas each side of the centre circle, with both sets of midfield players trying to create openings. Horsham's first effort on goal came on five minutes when a swift breakaway by Farrell, wide on the right, saw his instant cross into the penalty area find Gary Charman whose header almost caught Andy Walker off balance but the 'keeper held on to save at full stretch. Tom Graves, playing at full-back in place of Myall, earned a stiff lecture from Mr Rendell on eight minutes after mistiming a tackle as Bromley, prompted by their skipper, started to spray the ball around to good effect with Bobby Bowry and Tony Boot seeing a lot of the ball. Osborn brought a good save from Alan Mansfield when he tried a shot from long range after a corner had only been partially cleared by the Hornets defence. More good link up play from Bowry and Boot almost let the latter through but the covering Graves did well to thwart the danger, sending Farrell away with a good clearance until he was crudely stopped in his tracks by left back Matt Lovell. The Bromley debutant's indiscretion was to prove costly as Horsham were to take the lead against the run of play when, from the resulting free-kick, John Westcott found Eddie French at the far post and, when his header came back off a defender, the Hornets skipper showed the predatory instincts of a forward to pounce and hit the rebound low past the goalkeeper's outstretched hands to give the Hornets a slightly fortuitous lead.

Osborn had another long range effort go well wide during another spell of pressure by the Ravens that saw Mansfield charging off his line to save bravely at the feet of Boot, and Charman's free-kick from just inside the Ravens' half almost found Graves' head, Walker's punched clearance enough to ease the pressure. Buoyed by the goal, Horsham were now enjoying as much possession as their high-flying opponents and one of their better moves nearly brought a second goal on eighteen minutes when Farrell was the quickest to a loose ball and he sprayed a great ball into the path of Westcott who won his side a corner. The ball into the box again found French who headed on to Rook, the striker's header beating everyone but finishing agonisingly wide of the far upright.

Boot was finding plenty of room up front for the Ravens and Mansfield had to dive at the striker's feet once more to save another dangerous through ball. Lovell found himself in the notebook for another ugly tackle, this time on Westcott, in front of the home dugout that brought the management team to its feet to voice their opinions. With the Hornets now having the majority of the play, Charman was the next to go close, picking the ball up in his own half and going on a mazy run that took him past several defenders before unleashing a shot that just missed the post. Horsham's long serving winger was also involved in the next move, teeing up Lewis Taylor, but he snatched at the shot and it went well wide of Walker's goal. Taylor was then booked for a tame challenge and Kennedy fired a shot high over the crossbar after the free-kick was only half cleared.

A throw in from Charman began another superb move by the Hornets when the hard working Jacob Mingle picked up the ball and played a twenty-five yard pass out to Westcott to send his cross into the box. Rook's header was knocked in towards Farrell who must have thought he had scored, his goalbound effort superbly turned out for a corner by Walker's fingertips. Farrell then found Charman on the edge of the area but his attempted chip over Walker failed to really test the 'keeper.

Despite all the home side's possession, Bromley were always dangerous on breakaways and they should have gone in at half time at least on level terms but Boot wasted two fine chances with neither shot testing Mansfield. There was one last chance for the Ravens to level the scores before the interval when Bowry burst into the penalty area only to be dispossessed by the exceptional French as he shaped to shoot and Kevin Hemsley completed the clearance.  

After seeing his side squander a half-time lead in each of their previous two home games, John Maggs clearly didn't want this match to end up the same way and he used the full length of the interval to brief his players, leaving the visitors to stand around on the pitch for several minutes before sending his side back out, and it seemed to have had an effect as the Hornets pressed from the first whistle. Westcott got past Lovell to send a low teasing cross into the penalty area that went through a ruck of players and out to Charman on the left side of the box but his shot on goal lacked power and was cleared. Westcott was giving Lovell a tough baptism, in his first game since joining the Ravens from Thurrock, and the full-back had to resort to fouling his man once again. From the free-kick, Nigel Brake's cross was picked up by Rook but his attempt at a far post cross lacked direction, sailing harmlessly out for a goal kick to the displeasure of his team-mates. At the other end, the dangerous Boot was put in behind the Horsham defence but, as he had done in the first half, he put his shot wide.

Mingle and Taylor were clearly detailed to mark the dangerous Osborn tighter in the second half, reducing the midfielder's supply to the front runners, and the visitors' frustrated skipper earned a lecture from Mr Rendell after chopping down Mingle in the centre circle. Charman had been tormenting the Ravens all afternoon but ten minutes after the break, after a good clearance from just inside his own half, he was scythed down by the Ravens player coach Bowry after the ball had gone, earning the Bromley man a yellow card and Charman an early exit, carried off on a stretcher amid fears that he might have suffered a broken leg. The stricken player was replaced by Matt Geard while Nic McDonnell took the place of Kennedy and, within a minute, Bromley were close to bringing the game level. Gareth Williams outpaced Graves and sent a shot right across the face of Horsham's goal only to see it miss the far post by a whisker. Bromley were proving to be a bit of a handful each time they latched onto the long ball down both flanks, putting both full backs under extreme pressure. Geard had changed positions with Brake in an attempt to put Corneille under more pressure and, from one such break, Farrell picked the ball up and tried his luck from thirty yards out but his effort lacked genuine power, leaving Walker to make a routine save.

French went close from another free kick, Walker having to be alert to save his goalbound header, and the 'keeper's awareness to throw the ball out quickly set up another chance for the Ravens. Williams was starting to become more involved and he sent in a searching cross to the far post where Boot and Barry Moore were waiting and, as Geard and Hemsley closed in, Moore went over in the penalty area but, with the Bromley supporters behind the goal screaming for a penalty, Mr Rendell's decision was to award a goal kick. Farrell came close to doubling the Hornets' score when he beat the offside flag and chased in towards goal. As he cut back across the edge of the penalty area, he unleashed a great shot that was matched with an even better stop from Walker as he palmed the ball away from his goal, Westcott's lunge at the loose ball just missed making contact and the ball was cleared by a relieved Lovell. From one near miss, the action switched to the other end where French capped a faultless personal performance with a superb headed clearance away from his own goal, under pressure from three Bromley attackers. From the resulting corner, the Hornets' defence were relieved to see a back post header from Tutu Henriques go just wide of the post. The big centre back stayed forward for a Bowry free kick and had two attempts but, like French in the first half, his first header was blocked and his follow up shot hit Graves and went out for another corner.

Taylor and Mingle were covering every blade of grass in an attempt to inspire their team mates into securing the three points and, with seventeen minutes of the ninety remaining, the hosts thought they had doubled their lead when the French / Rook combination worked again with the former Dover forward heading home after his captain had helped on Graves' free-kick. However, the celebrations were cut short by the linesman's flag who had spotted that Rook was standing in an offside position when he scored and the 'goal' was rightly chalked off. The Hornets were still pushing forward for the vital second goal and the Ravens' back line was under as much pressure as the home defence had been earlier but still the goal wouldn't come as both Brake and Mingle saw their shots saved and Rook hit a shot just wide after another good pass from Mingle had set up the chance. With less than quarter of an hour remaining, Bromley brought on Kirk Watts in place of Corneille to add some fire power up front in an effort to salvage a point. This exciting match continued to ebb and flow and when Osborn brought down Mingle, Taylor's free kick into the box was desperately turned out for a corner by Jinadu. Westcott's inch perfect corner found Rook heading goalwards and the ball was hacked off the line with French appealing for handball after his follow up was also blocked before being cleared. Bromley hauled themselves back into the game with just eleven minutes remaining when Westcott was dispossessed and a quick pass found Watts chasing down the wing. His cross into the box found Boot in the right place to fire into the bottom corner to bring the visitors level and sending their fans into raptures.

Like last week, the pressure was certainly going to be on the Hornets for the remainder of the game but, this time, they felt they would have as much of a chance of winning the game as their opponents and set about putting on a nailbiting grandstand finish. Farrell and Brake chased down a harmless looking ball and, between them, put Jinadu under pressure and won a corner. The resulting kick was knocked back to Geard who set off on an unexpected run at the Ravens defence, beating two defenders and cutting inside to fire in a shot that Walker could only parry, the ball falling to one of his team mates before being cleared. Walker had to save again as Farrell tried an overhead kick but, luckily for the 'keeper, the shot lacked pace and he saved at full stretch. With only five minutes left, Bromley replaced Bowry with Adam Greenway whose his first action was to bring down Brake. Geard's free-kick found its way out to Mingle on the right and he cut inside Lovell and let fly on goal but Walker was on hand to save low down at the near post. With the referee playing what seemed like an eternity of extra time, and the Hornets seemingly content with the draw, an unexpected long range pot shot from Osborn almost secured three points for the visitors, the shot only clearing Mansfield's bar by a few inches. It would have been a total injustice had that gone in after the domination Horsham had over the ninety minutes.

Bromley's solitary goal was enough to elevate them to top spot while the home side's efforts saw them drop a place after AFC Wimbledon recorded a great 3-0 away win at previous joint leaders Chelmsford.

Horsham: 1.Alan Mansfield 2.Tom Graves 3.Nigel Brake 4.Eddie French 5.Kevin Hemsley 6.Lewis Taylor 7.Jacob Mingle 8.John Westcott 9.Lee Farrell 10.Carl Rook 11.Gary Charman (Geard) Substitutes: 12.Ryan Rummery 14.Matt Geard 15.Dean Wright 17.Gareth Williams

Bromley: 1.Andy Walker 2.Mark Corneille (Watts) 3.Matt Lovell, 4.Tutu Henriques 5.Tobi Jinadu 6.Simon Osborn 7.Bobby Bowry (Greenway) 8.Barry Moore 9.Tony Boot 10.Gareth Williams 11.Kenny Kennedy (McDonnell) Substitutes: 12.Adam Greenway 14.Kirk Watts 15.Nic McDonnell 16.Francis Duku 17.Lee Fieldwick

Goalscorers:

Horsham - French (12)

Bromley - Boot (79)

Attendance: 538