Horsham 4 v Walton & Hersham 0
Tuesday 21st November 2006
Ryman League Premier Division

reporter: Mark Wells

Horsham gained revenge for the four goal margin of defeat meted out by Walton & Hersham earlier in the season but this was a less than convincing display from the home side who had two late goals from Jamie Taylor to thank for giving the scoreline its flattering look. It is another measure of how well John Maggs' side has played this season that a 4-0 winning margin should be viewed so critically but, once again, Maggs will be baffled by his side's inability to stamp their authority on the game against struggling opponents after performing so well against Billericay Town and Heybridge Swifts in recent weeks. A week ago, Jacob Mingle's strike was all that divided the Hornets and their limited neighbours, Horsham YMCA, and for a long time tonight it seemed as though Carl Rook's first half effort was all the hosts would have to show for their evening's work against the workmanlike, but unspectacular, Swans. However, Gary Charman finally broke the visitors' resistance with a towering header, six minutes from time, before Taylor twice provided the finish to some good approach play to send the fans home happy.

Maggs named just the one change to Saturday's line-up, Nigel Brake replacing Jose Goncalves at full-back, after the latter's injury picked up in the weekend's trip to Heybridge had restricted him to a place on the bench, and with Lee Carney expected to be out for up to eight weeks, the midfield hopes lie once again with the energetic combination of Mingle, Lewis Taylor, John Westcott and Charman. Charman it was who had a couple of half chances to open the scoring in the opening stages of the game as he began like a steam train, perhaps eager to show the visiting players and supporters what he was capable of after a brief, injury hit spell with the Stompond Lane side. Jamie Taylor produced the first meaningful save from goalkeeper Nick Gindre after fourteen minutes when his powerful free-kick was parried superbly and the 'keeper deserved his luck when Carl Rook was unable to put away the rebound from the tightest of angles. Two minutes later, Charman seized upon a loose pass out of defence and fed Rook who cut from the left flank to curl a shot inches past the far upright. Walton hit back from a free-kick after Lewis Taylor had impeded Scott Simpson, an offence that earned the Horsham man a yellow card, with the ball somehow finding its way through to Bobby Traynor at the far edge of the penalty area but Taylor was on hand to volley away as the ball was driven dangerously back into the danger zone. A smart move involving Jamie Taylor, Westcott and Rook saw the ball flicked onto Charman at the far post but he couldn't adjust his body shape in time and the ball was sliced harmlessly away from danger. Quick feet from Simpson enabled him to get away from Stuart Myall down the Walton left before sending in a terrific near post cross but Daniel Sacha couldn't keep his header down and a grateful Mansfield watched as the ball sailed over the crossbar. Jamie Taylor almost netted an unlikely goal when his cross-cum-shot threatened to drop into the far corner of the net but the hosts received a huge let-off on thirty-five minutes when Gindre's huge punt downfield was allowed to bounce by Myall who then blindly tried to head the ball back to Mansfield only for Ben Thorne to nip in and stab the ball a whisker wide of the post.

The goal finally came in the thirty-ninth minute and it was the home side who scored it. Brake began the move in the left full-back position, picking out Westcott in the middle of the pitch. A quick one-two with Myall saw Westcott take on, and beat, Byron Brown down the right flank before sending over an inviting cross towards the far post that dropped kindly for Rook to smash home his tenth of the season. Horsham's next chance was football in it's simplest terms. A long clearance downfield from Mansfield was flicked on by Charman for Jamie Taylor to spin and shoot but Gindre was behind it all the way and made a routine save. As the first half entered its final seconds, a well struck free-kick from Walton's Michael Murphy appeared to hit Kevin Hemsley on the arm, provoking strong shouts for a penalty from the visitors but referee Alan Black waved play on and, seconds later, blew his whistle to bring the first period to a close.

Caretaker boss Gary Haylock was taking charge of the Swans for the final time following the announcement that Bobby Patterson would take over the reigns the day after this match and he made a switch during the interval, replacing Simpson with Ryan Lock. As with the first half, the first chance of the second period fell to Charman but he sliced disappointingly wide after a promising move had created a good shooting chance and Lewis Taylor followed that up with a shot that brought a comfortable save from Gindre. Hemsley was struggling after being caught by a late challenge in the opening minutes of the half and was replaced by Tom Graves, just before the hour mark, and things got worse for the Hornets when Lewis Taylor was injured in a clash with Rob George and was led limping from the field to be replaced by Matt Geard. Myall was next to receive treatment as the game began to get disjointed. Sacha curled a free-kick over the top as the visitors enjoyed the bulk of the early second half possession and Brake had to come to the rescue with a last gasp challenge on Dan Summers as the Walton striker looked to capitalise on some hesitant Horsham defending. Haylock threw on Louis Clark in place of Thorne but it was Horsham who almost scored again but the linesman's offside flag barely spared Rook's blushes after he blasted Mingle's slide rule pass high over the crossbar from close range. An opportunist strike from Brake almost embarrassed Gindre when the Horsham man picked up a stray pass and fired in a left foot shot that hit the side netting with Gindre poorly positioned. The visitors made their final substitution of the night, electing not to bring on striker Reggie Savage, scorer of the wining goal when the sides met two seasons ago, but Nick Pegler, with Sacha making way and Pegler had only been on the pitch a matter of minutes when the hosts went 2-0 ahead. Brake's deep cross to the far post found Charman leaping highest, in typical fashion, to direct a looping header over Gindre that dropped inside the far post and the home fans were able to breathe a sigh of relief. The visitors refused to accept defeat, though, and Mansfield pulled off a breathtaking save, diving full length to tip Pegler's twenty-five yard shot on to the crossbar before Graves completed the clearance. With two minutes remaining, Jamie Taylor finished off a six man move with a poacher's goal, chesting down Rook's cushioned header before dragging a shot across the face of goal and into the corner of the net and completed the scoring in the eighty-ninth minute after a superb run and cross from Charman saw the ball laid sweetly into the strikers path by Mingle to slip the ball under the advancing 'keeper to record the fourteenth goal of another successful campaign for Horsham's prolific marksman. There was just enough time for Andy Howard to make his first appearance in two months, coming on as a late replacement for Rook, before Horsham were able to celebrate their first clean sheet in the league since the opening day of the season.

Horsham: 1.Alan Mansfield 2.Stuart Myall 3.Nigel Brake 4.Eddie French 5.Kevin Hemsley (Graves) 6.Lewis Taylor (Geard) 7.Jacob Mingle 8.John Westcott 9.Jamie Taylor 10.Carl Rook (Howard) 11.Gary Charman Subs: 12.Andy Howard 14.Matt Geard 15.Tom Graves 16.Jose Goncalves 17.Rob Frankland

Walton & Hersham: 1.Nick Gindre 2.Rob George 3.Byron Brown 4.Michael Murphy 5.Will Jenkins 6.Daniel Sacha (Pegler) 7.Ben Thorne (Clark) 8.Gavin Cartwright 9.Dan Summers 10.Bobby Traynor 11.Scott Simpson (Lock) Subs: 12.Ryan Lock 14.Reggie Savage 15.David Francis 16.Nick Pegler 17.Louis Clark

Goalscorers:

Horsham - Rook (39), Charman (84), J Taylor (88,89)

Attendance: 233