Horsham 0 v Eastbourne Borough 1
Wednesday 19th July 2006
Friendly

Reporter: Jim Bravery

The annual pre-season meeting between Horsham and Eastbourne Borough went the way of the visitors courtesy of a second half goal from Scott Ramsay. In a game of few clear cut chances, the experienced striker stole in to convert Matt Crabb’s 62^nd minute cross to avenge the Conference South side’s surprise 4-1 defeat in last season’s corresponding fixture.

With official reports proclaiming this as the hottest July day on record, players and supporters would have been delighted that this match was scheduled for an evening kick-off with temperatures dropping to a more comfortable level as the match kicked off. The home fans would have been equally delighted with the start their side made as they looked to continue their good work from the weekend. Kicking down the slope, the Hornets had the better of the first half, creating several chances against their higher ranked opponents, with Westcott in particular showing The Sports’ summer acquisition from Crawley Town, Neil Jenkins, a clean pair of heels on more than one occasion. Horsham threatened early on when Carl Rook’s cushioned header saw Jamie Taylor’s shot blocked by a defender while Matt Geard wasted a good opportunity when he overhit his cross; the ball sailing harmlessly out for a goal kick.

Nigel Brake looked to have created a good chance when some fine control left Darren Baker for dead but his cross was too close to Hook who made a routine catch. The same player was denied, a couple of minutes later, when his header forced a fine save from the goalkeeper after Carney’s corner had offered him the chance. The withdrawal of Eastbourne’s limping centre-back, Marc Pullan, on the half hour prompted the now customary drinks break from Mr Rendell as the players took in some much needed liquid. The refreshments seemed to revive the visitors and Lovett rifled in a dangerous cross that Payne, captaining the side, had to usher out for a corner. Joe Keehan, picking up a weak clearance, cut in from the left but could only send his shot wide of the post.

An unsighted Mansfield did well to turn over a free-kick as the seasiders began to enjoy more possession and former Hornets’ skipper Matt Smart, the spearhead of much of the visitors’ good build up play, set up Lee Newman but, for once, the former Lewes marksman was unable to find the finish to add to his excellent goalscoring record against the yellow and greens. The deadlock was almost broken shortly before the interval when Mansfield’s long clearance fell to Taylor whose excellent touch enabled him to thread the ball between two defenders in to the path of Brake. The winger cut inside, forcing Hook to parry his fierce shot towards Westcott but, sadly for the Horsham man, an outstretched foot prevented him from marking his appearance with a goal against his former employers as the ball was diverted behind for a corner.

Horsham made a couple of substitutions at the start of the second half with Gareth Williams replacing Mansfield in goal and Eddie French coming on for Graves, the unfortunate recipient of a dead leg. The Eastbourne management team looked to have given their players a stern lecturing at half-time as they upped the pace after the break. Just two minutes had elapsed when Andy Howard brought down Smart on the edge of the penalty area but Jenkins’ place kick flew over the ‘bar to the relief of the home support. A double substitution by Horsham saw full-backs Payne and Geard replaced by James Cant and Owen Botting but both players struggled to add any attacking impact to the side as they were penned back by the Sports’ frequent attacks down the flanks. It came as no surprise, then, that it was via this route that the visitors opened the scoring when Ramsay gave Williams no chance from close range. Crabb then fancied his chances, cutting in from the left wing and unleashing a shot that went too high, before being one of four substitutions made by Eastbourne. Keehan, Ramsay and Newman joined the attacking midfielder on the sidelines after being replaced by Paul Armstrong, Allan Tate, Tom Moffatt and Pat Harding and the fresh legs made life difficult for the Horsham players to make any inroads. Despite enjoying some good possession, the hosts were constantly put under immediate pressure, forcing them to play the ball backwards instead of forwards. Brake wasted arguably their only decent chance of the second half when his header, from Carney’s free-kick, lacked direction and went over the corner of post and crossbar as the match petered out in the balmy conditions.

Horsham manager John Maggs will be disappointed that his side did not make the most of their chances created during the opening period of the game but, perhaps, content with the fact that, for the second match running, they had more than matched their senior opponents.

Horsham: Alan Mansfield (Gareth Williams), Ian Payne (James Cant), Matt Geard (Owen Botting) Tom Graves (Eddie French), Andy Howard (Steve Willis), Andy Walker, Lee Carney (Kieron Johnson), John Westcott, Jamie Taylor, Carl Rook, Nigel Brake.

Eastbourne Borough: Lee Hook, Darren Baker, Neil Jenkins, Matt Smart, Marc Pullan (Kevin Hemsley), Ben Austin, Jay Lovett, Joe Keehan (Paul Armstrong), Scott Ramsay (Allan Tate), Lee Newman (Tom Moffatt), Matt Crabb (Pat Harding)

Goalscorers:

Eastbourne Borough - Ramsay (62)

Attendance: 168