Horsham 4 v Slough Town 0
Tuesday 30th January 2007
Ryman League Premier Division

reporter: Mark Wells

A gutsy display from Gary Charman was the catalyst for Horsham's opening league victory of 2007 as they ended Slough Town's spirited resistance, leaving the Berkshire club still struggling at the wrong end of the table. Horsham's long serving winger left the pitch on a stretcher during the Hornets' last home game, and was only included in this match after passing a late fitness test, but his positive running and fearless determination provided the home side with an ever willing attacking outlet down the left flank that would prove to be the difference between the two sides. The visitors' young full-back, Craig Price, stuck manfully to the task of marking the talismanic forward as the basement side frustrated Horsham for almost an hour but, ultimately, it was Charman who unlocked the Rebels' defence, sending Lee Farrell through for an emphatic finish and, when Carl Rook added a second ninety seconds later, there was only one likely outcome to the match.

Slough were making their second visit to the Atspeed Stadium in a month after torrential rain caused the first attempt at playing this Ryman League Premier Division match to be abandoned after just seventeen minutes. The visitors, backed by a sizeable and vocal contingent who had made the difficult midweek trip, would have been delighted to see the Queen Street pitch in remarkable condition given the recent poor weather as they harboured hopes of building on Saturday's impressive win at Heybridge Swifts and maintaining their unbeaten record at Horsham that stretched back to 1973. However, the Hornets had already beaten the Rebels at their temporary home at Windsor's Stag Meadow back in August and were expected to claim their first league 'double' of the season, despite suffering a run of five league matches without a win. Charman was the only change to the Horsham side that had lost so tamely at Billericay Town at the weekend with Tom Graves stepping down to the substitutes' bench alongside Lee Carney and youth team striker Dean Wright.

With the Hornets attacking up the slope in the first half, it was Farrell who threatened first when he collected a pass from Jacob Mingle and showed good balance only to sending a shot fizzing harmlessly across the face of goal. John Westcott enjoyed a lot of the early ball and Steve Hale, playing in an unfamiliar defensive role, received a caution for stopping the flying winger inside the opening ten minutes. A trademark free-kick from the home side almost led to a spectacular opening goal after Stuart Myall's flighted chip had picked out the head of Charman and, as the ball was played back across the goal, Charman launched himself into an acrobatic volley that flew wide of Jamie Jackson's goal. Charman then embarked on a run, picking up a loose ball in the centre of midfield and driving at the heart of the Slough defence but he mishit his shot, sending it disappointingly wide of the upright. A cross from Westcott provided the Hornets with their next effort on goal but Rook could only send Charman's knock down into Jackson's arms and, a minute later, Westcott combined with Farrell to drill a low shot through the Rebels' penalty area but just a fraction too far ahead of the stretching Rook. Horsham were getting closer to that opening goal and they thought they'd found it on twenty-five minutes when a sweeping crossfield move saw Rook latch on to Myall's lofted pass to cut the ball back for Farrell who lashed the ball home from six yards. But joy turned to frustration for the on-loan striker as the goal was wiped out after the linesman adjudged the ball to have crossed the line before Rook could pick out his team-mate. The same two players were involved again, soon after, when Symon James was booked for obstructing Nigel Brake and Myall's pass enabled Rook to turn away from the defender and knock the ball in towards the near post where Farrell was denied by a point blank stop from the Slough 'keeper.

James was a relieved man as referee Lee Collins chose just to administer just a few cautionary words after he upended Brake once again, ten minutes from the break, but the free-kick again threatened to unlock the visitors' defence when Brake's deep cross was returned to the far post by Kevin Hemsley but the vehicles in the packed car park were in more danger than the Slough goal as Farrell blasted high and wide from eight yards. The game turned fractious for a moment when Charman took exception to a challenge by Rebels' player-manager Darron Wilkinson but, despite Lewis Taylor seeking immediate retribution by launching himself recklessly into the follow-up challenge, Mr Collins decided against any yellow cards and play continued with a free-kick for the visitors. As the ball was played high towards the far post, Hornets 'keeper Alan Mansfield was impeded when attempting to fist away the danger, enabling John Hind to knock the loose ball into the back of the net only for the officials to even up the disallowed goal count. Rook squandered arguably the best chance of the half, two minutes before the break, when Taylor charged down a defensive clearance but, with the ball falling invitingly for the former Hastings hitman, he opted for the first time shot, miscuing horribly from twenty-two yards with team-mates well placed on either side of him.

The second half was just two minutes old when Mingle played a delightful pass through the Slough defence into the path of Farrell but Jackson stood up to the shot well and produced a fine save with his legs and Wilkinson almost punished some slack defensive play by the home team when he shot over the top. Despite failing to create many chances of real note during the first forty-five minutes, the visitors could be pleased with their performance and they almost took the lead on fifty-five minutes when a hopeful ball forward by James was left by the otherwise impeccable Eddie French and Matt Miller was in on the blind side to draw a crucial block from Mansfield on the edge of his area. Ironically, just moments after producing their best chance of the night, the Rebels fell behind. Charman turned his marker and clipped a perfectly weighted pass over the top of the defence for Farrell to cushion the ball adeptly on his thigh before lashing the ball past the 'keeper although it was easy to understand the visitors' appeals for offside with the Lewes man looking to have been a yard beyond the last defender. The lead was doubled, less than two minutes later, and was a reward for the never-say-die attitude of Carl Rook. Chasing a long goal-kick from Mansfield, the striker took advantage of a stumble by Hale to nod the ball over the advancing Jackson whose outstretched fingertips could only divert it into the back of the net despite Michael Donovan's best efforts to keep it out. French almost made it three in three minutes when he arrived late to power a header inches wide of the post from Westcott's corner before the lively Terry Davis was shown the yellow card for dissent. A throw-in down the Horsham left saw Charman's flick header release Farrell but his intelligent cut back was cleared in the nick of time before Westcott could pounce. Davis found himself in trouble with the referee again when a pacy attack involving Price, James and Abbey Nsubuga saw Davis overrun the ball as Mansfield came to meet him, with the Hornets custodian claiming to have been caught by the striker's late challenge. With the visiting fans claiming Mansfield had made a meal out the situation, the animated referee surprisingly chose only to have a calming word with the Slough playmaker.

Charman was hungry for the spectacular goal and another acrobatic effort flew well wide after Myall's free-kick was helped on at the far post. With twelve minutes remaining, Horsham boss John Maggs withdrew the hard-working Westcott to give Carney a chance to get some match fitness ahead of the weekend but it was the Rebels who had the next effort on goal, Hale striking his free-kick straight into Mansfield's arms after Hemsley was cautioned for bringing down Davis. An amazing turn of events saw the Slough goal have a miraculous escape when Charman sent Brake sent free down the left before continuing on into the box where the full-back's cross picked him out at the far post. His diving header hit Rook on the goal-line, denying Charman a clear goal, before the rebound fell to Hale who struck himself in the face with an attempted clearance, sending the ball back towards goal before being hacked clear by Wilkinson. As the ball fell to Carney on the edge of the box, his bobbled shot careered back into a posse of players before Charman ended the game of pinball by firing over the crossbar. Taylor's dangerous cross dropped on to the top of Jackson's goal as Horsham looked to finish off their opponents but casual play from Carney almost let the visitors in for a nail-biting finale when his weak header was pounced on by Davis but his aim was too high and the ball cleared Mansfield's goal by a couple of feet. Hemsley might have wrapped things up in the closing stages but he couldn't direct his header on target from Taylor's corner and it was left to Charman to create the opening for Farrell, once again, when he juggled the ball before floating in a clever ball that Farrell swept past Jackson before setting off to celebrate his second of the night with the handful of fans behind the goal. The dejected visitors were soon beaten again when a powerful run from Rook saw him sprint half the length of the pitch before clipping the ball over the diving goalkeeper and back off the post where Mingle, following up, scored his first league goal for the Hornets from little more than a yard out. The final word almost belonged to the Rebels when they forced a corner in injury time but Hind, taking one touch to control, blasted his shot over.

Horsham: 1.Alan Mansfield 2.Stuart Myall 3.Nigel Brake 4.Eddie French 5.Kevin Hemsley 6.Lewis Taylor 7.Jacob Mingle 8.John Westcott (Carney) 9.Lee Farrell 10.Carl Rook 11.Gary Charman Substitutes: 12.Lee Carney 14.Tom Graves 15.Matt Geard 16.Dean Wright 17.Gareth Williams

Slough Town: 1.Jamie Jackson 2.Craig Price 3.Darren Wilkinson (Sulieman) 4.Steve Hale 5.Jon Mills 6.Symon James 7.Abbey Nsubuga 8.John Hind 9.Matt Miller 10.Terry Davis 11.Michael Donovan Substitutes: 12.Mark Bartley 14.Michael Perrineau-Daley 15.Hussain Sulieman

Goalscorers:

Horsham - Farrell (57,88), Rook (59), Mingle (90)

Attendance - 282