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Horsham 2 v Leyton 1
Saturday 3rd
March 2007
Ryman League Premier Division
reporter: Mark Wells
Two quality strikes from Carl Rook made it a double
celebration for the Hornets on an afternoon when Chairman Frank King
confirmed the signing of contracts that would secure the takeover of the
Holbrook Club, the site of the future home of Horsham Football Club. The
exciting announcement came at the end of a match that saw the Hornets keep
up the pressure for a play-off spot after overcoming a busy, yet often physical,
Leyton side who had harboured hopes of promotion themselves after a run of
only one defeat in eight games had left them just four points, and four
places, behind John Maggs' seventh placed Hornets.
Maggs' weekend had begun with further good news when
his quest to provide a proven strike partner for Rook finally came to
fruition when much travelled forward Kevin Cooper agreed to join the club
on Friday. However, Cooper would have to wait before he could make his
debut for his twenty-seventh club as Maggs kept faith with the side that
had come so close to defeating Lewes in the Sussex Senior Cup with Cooper
taking his place on the bench alongside goalkeeper Gareth Williams who
stood down in favour of Alan Mansfield. The visitors arrived in confident
style having scored seven goals in their last two matches, including a 3-0
win at Ramsgate, and in Leli Bajada, boasted one of the division's leading
scorers with thirteen goals in twenty-three games.
Despite the recent heavy
rain, the Queen Street pitch reaped the benefits of not having been played
on in a fortnight, giving officials no reason to repeat Tuesday night's
debacle when the game was postponed less than an hour before kick-off, and
it was the home side who immediately went on the offensive, almost taking
the lead inside the opening two minutes. Lee Carney, operating again as
the 'other' striker, fed the ball out to the right wing where John
Westcott was able to turn inside his man and send in an inviting cross
that Rook got his head to, only to see his effort come crashing back off
of the crossbar. Gary Charman hit the follow-up against the legs of the
diving Jamie Lunan in goal and, when the ball came back to him for a
second time, the Horsham man screwed his shot inches wide of the far post.
The visitors looked as if they might create problems for the Horsham
defence with their pace and a quick one-two on the edge of the penalty
area ended with Byron Budd firing high over the top of the goal. An early
indication of the away side's intent came after just eight minutes when
Mark Sophocleous was shown the yellow card by referee Paul Andrews for a
foul on Westcott. Jacob Mingle saw his clever header fall just wide of the
post, after Kevin Hemsley's lofted pass had found the midfielder ghosting
in beyond his marker, but, despite all the early possession, Horsham were
to fall behind to a sucker punch after nineteen minutes. Nigel Brake was
cautioned for a foul on Curtis Allen and, as the free-kick was played in
from the right, the defence got their timing all wrong as they stepped up
to leave Bubb
with the freedom of the penalty area to slot the ball past Mansfield.
Lewis Taylor evened up the bookings count when he felled Loui Fazakerley
and Leyton almost doubled their lead when a neat passing move ended with
Mansfield saving at his near post from Bubb's long range shot. The
visitors continued to enjoy the best of the chances as the earlier
sunshine was overtaken by heavy skies and the all too familiar sign of
rain. Allen laid the ball off well to Bubb who turned inside the Horsham
penalty box but the former AFC Wimbledon man couldn't keep his shot down
and it flew harmlessly into the terraces at the Cowshed end of the ground.
Fortunately, the shower was a brief one and the ground was soon bathed in
blinding sunshine that made Lunan's spectacular reaction save from
Charman's backheel even more impressive. The home side gave a loud appeal
when Vas Soteriou appeared to handle as Brake played a loose ball back
into the danger zone and another cross from Brake was headed over by Rook.
But the Hornets didn't have long to wait for their equaliser, the goal
coming in their very next attack. Mingle threaded an exquisite pass in
behind Soteriou for Westcott to attack and the winger pulled the ball back
perfectly for Rook
to steer home his fifteenth of the season to take him clear at the top of
the scoring charts. Horsham were lifted by the goal and enjoyed the better
of the remaining moments of the half. Charman headed Carney's free-kick
over the bar before Tom Graves went close to claiming his first goal of
the season when he raced on to Rook's flicked header to lob the ball over
Lunan, the ball dropping onto the roof of the net for what was the last
chance before the break.
Mingle might have done
better at the start of the second half when the hard-working Carney picked
him out, just outside the Leyton penalty area, but his shot lacked the
pace to trouble Lunan and Taylor had a shot deflected for a corner as
Maggs' side continued to apply the pressure. However, they were indebted
to Brake who produced a good covering challenge to prevent Bubb from
getting in a shot at the other end when in a promising position. Horsham
might have taken the lead on fifty-three minutes when Graves' acrobatic
effort was matched only by the brilliance of Lunan. A Horsham throw was
returned to the taker, Carney, who crossed into the box for Graves to
execute what looked to be the perfect overhead kick. With the ball
powering towards goal from no more than six yards, the Leyton 'keeper
propelled himself sideways to turn the effort away with a breathtaking
save that drew parallels with the legendary Gordon Banks. Few could argue
that Lunan deserved his luck when the corner was played back in and
Graves, presented with an easier chance to that which befell him moments
earlier, could only divert the ball into the 'keeper's arms. Undeterred,
Horsham continued to press and good work from Rook allowed Mingle to skip
into the opposing penalty area only for him to be denied at the death by
Roy Parkyn. Leyton boss Costas Sophocleous made a switch, sending on the
powerfully built Emond Protian for Fazakerley, and Maggs introduced Cooper
for his debut in place of Carney who looked less than pleased as he
trudged off towards the dressing room. Bajada, virtually non-existent as
an attacking threat in the opening hour of the game picked up a booking
for a foul on Hornets' skipper Eddie French but it was a Leyton free-kick
that was to cause problems, minutes later, when Parkyn sent in a cross
from the left that Mansfield lost in the sun and was grateful to see the
ball cleared after he could only palm away the cross at the last moment.
Charman was beginning to find some joy against full-back Billy Hawes
although the youngster managed to get enough contact on Charman's
attempted cross to deflect the ball into his goalkeeper's safe hands.
Hawes' was caught out by Mingle, though, when the midfielder was first to
the ball and the full-back sent him flying with a mis-timed challenge that
earned the fifth booking of the game. From the resulting free-kick, Cooper
turned neatly in the box only to see his shot hit a defender and drop
behind for a corner. With the tackles flying in with disturbing
regularity, it was inevitable that the game would witness a flare-up and
so it proved when Manny Williams caught Mansfield with a late challenge in
what was his fourth indiscretion in ten minutes and, with players from
both sides converging on the scene, the Leyton forward was taken to one
side and finally cautioned by Mr Andrews. The referee had his notebook out
again on seventy-three minutes but this time for all the right reasons,
from Horsham's point of view, as he registered that of Carl Rook as
goalscorer of the second, and decisive, goal. A long goal-kick from
Mansfield dropped to Cooper who held off Parkyn to flick the ball neatly
into the path of Rook
who finished superbly, clipping the ball over Lunan from a tight angle
despite the
attentions of
two
defenders. Joy was to turn to despair for Horsham, ten minutes from time,
when Charman was stretchered off the pitch after suffering was looked a
painful injury. An innocuous looking challenge by Williams had knocked
Charman off balance and, as the ball was hit back towards him, it hit his
standing foot to send him crashing to the floor. A combination of cramp
and injury meant that neither could be dealt with properly at the scene
with the treatment continuing by the dressing room before the player
eventually travelled to hospital for an x-ray. Before play could restart,
changes were made by both coaches with Matt Geard replacing the stricken
Charman, the former Burgess Hill man moving into the full-back spot to
allow Brake to slot into Charman's place on the left wing, while the fiery
Williams was saved from a possible second yellow by being replaced by
Shaun Lee. The fractious tempo continued when Sophocleous pushed a good
ball in behind the Horsham defence for Bajada but Mansfield was out
quickly to deny the Leyton marksman who left his foot in on the
goalkeeper, earning himself a second booking of the game and, with it, the
opportunity for an early bath. Reduced to ten men, Leyton proceeded to
enjoy arguably their best spell of the game. Twice Sophocleous played
Soteriou in behind Westcott but the full-back's crosses were overhit and
Protian took the lead from his team-mates by having his name taken by the
overworked official for appearing to kick out at Mingle. Leyton's final
substitution saw Sophocleous replaced by Des Thomas but Horsham were to
finish the stronger, Brake hitting a shot just wide of the post, before
Allen summed up Leyton's day by becoming the sixth visiting player to
receive a yellow card after his assault on Kevin Hemsley.
Horsham now have an anxious wait before knowing
whether Charman will be available for the visit of Lewes on Tuesday night
but, despite the Rooks' resounding 5-1 win at Dorchester this afternoon,
John Maggs will feel that he has the squad capable of pulling off a famous
victory as his players continue to show that they have the determination
and skill that might yet see the 2006/7 season becoming one of the finest
in the club's long history.
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 Carney (Cooper) 10.Carl Rook 11.Gary Charman (Geard)
Substitutes: 12.Matt
Geard 14.Kevin Cooper 15.Stuart Myall 17.Gareth Williams
Leyton:
Goalscorers:
Horsham - Rook (35,73)
Leyton - Bubb (19)
Attendance - 356