Horsham 1 v Horsham YMCA 0
Tuesday 14th November 2006
Sussex Senior Cup second round

reporter: Mark Wells

The most important thing about cup football is winning. Horsham have learned to their cost that good football is no guarantee of success when it comes to knockout football, witness their matches against AFC Wimbledon and Maidenhead United in the FA Cup and FA Trophy ties this season. John Maggs' side played some scintillating football at times yet both matches ended in defeat and elimination from competitions in which the club had harboured genuine hopes of success. How ironic, then,  that a sub-standard display should see them progress in their final chance of cup glory as their Sussex Senior Cup campaign began with a victory against their near neighbours in a local derby that showed few signs of matching the excitement of Saturday's match with Billericay Town. Recent signing Jacob Mingle claimed the all-important goal, finishing off a slick Horsham move in the ninth minute, but this was a match low in goalmouth action with Hornets' 'keeper Alan Mansfield seldom tested by the visiting side.

Maggs chose to stick with the same side that had impressed in that defeat of Billericay with Kevin Hemsley continuing in the centre of defence having earlier secured a permanent deal after his successful spell on loan from Eastbourne Borough. Jose Goncalves kept his place at full-back despite the return of Nigel Brake from suspension, Brake having to settle for a place on the bench. The visitors handed a debut to goalkeeper Mike Wood while former Hornet James Grant joined Steve Davies and one time Horsham target Ellis Hooper on the sidelines through injury. There were still a number of familiar faces on show with Scott Kirkwood and Matt Ottley facing their former side while John Kirby, James Bird and Barrie Westgate stood side-by-side on the terracing among another 400 plus crowd at the Atspeed Stadium.

YM began the game attacking down the slope but it was the Hornets who were quickest out of the blocks as Jamie Taylor showed his aerial ability, outjumping Wood to head against the crossbar after just four minutes, and Carl Rook sent a volley towards goal that was comfortably fielded by the young 'keeper. Slick passing from the home side resulted in the early breakthrough as John Westcott and Rook combined to set up Lewis Taylor whose first time ball into the penalty area was finished off by Mingle, sticking out a leg to divert the ball past the wrong footed 'keeper. However, the smiles were soon wiped from Horsham faces when Gary Charman suffered a nasty looking injury after crashing into advertising hoardings when chasing a long ball and had to be helped from the pitch in obvious discomfort. Fortunately, the injury seems nothing more than a badly jarred knee with Charman himself hoping to be fit for the weekend's trip to Heybridge Swifts. Brake was sent on into the vacant left midfield role but not before Kirkwood almost cashed in on some sloppy defending from the home team, firing over the top from a good angle. Eddie French headed over from Lewis Taylor's cross and Pat Massaro needed to show more composure when breaking clear of the Horsham defence, the YMCA forward rushing his shot and sending it high over Alan Mansfield's goal. Jamie Taylor flashed a volley over the top from Rook's neat chest down and Kirkwood came even closer to finding the net when he skilfully plucked Massaro's pass out of the air before curling a delicious shot just over Mansfield's crossbar. Goncalves had put in another assured display in defence but he couldn't resist the temptation to go on one of his mazy runs as he cut in from the left touchline to clip a shot that drifted just wide of Wood's right hand upright before Jamie Taylor ended the first half action with an exquisite free-kick that cannoned away off the frame of the goal that meant the Hornets had to be content with just the single goal advantage at the break.

The rain that accompanied the end of the first half had dissipated by the start of the second as the Hornets looked to take advantage of the Queen Street slope but Lewis Taylor was unable to repeat his stunning goal from the weekend when he responded to the crowd's shout of 'hit it' by sending his shot wide of the post. YMCA boss John Suter made a switch after just ten minutes when he replaced the ineffective Peter Brackley with Matt Duffell but the substitution had little bearing on the pattern of play as the hosts continued to enjoy the lion's share of possession. A superb pass from Rook sent Westcott free down the right and his cross picked out Brake at the far post but he couldn't get the shot on target after cutting inside his marker and curling the ball just past the opposite upright. Another strong run from Goncalves ended with his effort being deflected over the crossbar for a corner from which French headed over before a rare chance at the other end saw Matt Ottley similarly off target from Andy Ottley's free kick. More good work from Rook set up Taylor but the striker could find no way through as his shot was deflected to safety by YM's dogged defence. Taylor looked to have settled the tie with a little over twenty minutes remaining when he raced on to Mingle's perfectly weighted through ball but, having skipped past Wood, Mo Shuga'a performed heroics for the visitors to slide in and put the ball behind for a corner with the goal gaping. The full-back was at it again, soon after, when Horsham's two Taylors combined from a free-kick and Shuga'a timed his challenge to perfection to dispossess Jamie as he shaped to shoot. Surprisingly, Shuga'a was to take no further part in the action after he was withdrawn in favour of Phil Fitzgerald, another who had previously spent time on the Hornets' books, as Suter made the last of his substitutions (Richard Greenfield having earlier replaced Massaro). Goncalves will feel he should have done better when a patient move saw the ball switched from one flank to the other for the skilful Portuguese to cut inside Dean Carden but he dragged his shot wastefully wide as the defence opened up in front of him. Ottley headed another cross over the top as YM searched in vain for a last gasp equaliser but the home side controlled the closing stages and Mingle should have cemented the win when a crossfield pass from Lewis Taylor found Goncalves whose trickery created the space for the new boy but he couldn't add to his earlier effort, slicing the ball well wide. Rook was denied a late goal when he bore down on goal but his shot, from an acute angle, fizzed across the face of goal and out for a throw and Mingle had a goal rightly disallowed, seconds before the end, when Jamie Taylor received the ball in an offside position.

Horsham's first clean sheet of the season at the Atspeed Stadium was a welcome bonus but Maggs was left scratching his head at his side's puzzling inconsistency as they struggled to defeat a side thirty-three places below them having performed so well against Billericay at the weekend. With a trip to second placed Heybridge Swifts to come on Saturday, he will no doubt be hoping that his player's knack of raising their game against 'better' opposition continues.

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

Horsham YMCA: 1.Mike Wood 2.Dean Carden 3.Mo Shuga'a (Fitzgerald) 4.Matt Ottley 5.Glen Woodburn 6.Tom White 7.Matt Russell 8.Scott Kirkwood 9.Peter Brackley (Duffield) 10.Pat Massaro (Greenfield) 11.Andy Ottley Subs: 12.Matt Duffell 14.Phil Fitzgerald 15.Richard Greenfield 17.Ken Westoby

Goalscorers:

Horsham - Mingle (9)

Attendance: 413