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reporter: Jim Bravery
Photographs by John Lines
Horsham halted their
recent mini run of poor results by securing a point at Harlow’s new
stadium on a bitterly cold night that attracted a paltry crowd of 147,
the majority probably preferring to stay at home to watch Champions
league matches in the comfort of their own homes, with only a handful
of hardy souls supporting the Hornets.
After a long, yet perfectly observed minutes' silence in memory of
former player Carl Hoddle, the game got underway with the visitors
going straight onto the attack. An early foul by Leon Lalite on Jacob
Mingle halted the midfielder's progress and prompted a stern lecture
from Mr Magill, the referee making his position clear from the onset.
From Lewis Taylor’s free kick the ball found its way out to Stefan Cox
on the edge of the penalty area but, trying a speculative first time
volley, his mishit shot presented James Hasell with a comfortable
first touch in the home goal.
Taylor was making some useful runs down the right flank but tended to
over run the ball or get beaten by his marker. Andy Howard, playing in
an unfamiliar right back role, started a good passing move that
involved Lee Carney and Taylor, his pass finding Simon Austin in the
penalty area. With his back to goal, the ex Maidstone man swivelled
and hit a good shot that Hasell could only parry and his defence came
to the rescue at the expense of a corner. The resulting corner
prompted a header from Hornets skipper Eddie French but the ball was
cleared away to safety.
The Hornets rearguard had to be alert as the ball reached home skipper
James Bunn inside the penalty area and he should have done better with
his effort as he only managed to hit the side netting. Mr Magill
showed two yellow cards in the 20th minute when Mark Taylor brought
down Austin and the Hornet striker's follow through caught another
Harlow player with his studs, the pair both getting yellow cards for
their troubles. Shortly after, Danny Chapman was lectured for a foul
on Danny Davis and Matt Geard’s free kick found Taylor at the back
post but his volley went wide of the target. More misfortune befell
Taylor as another fine Geard delivery across the box saw the
midfielder's header come back off the crossbar with Hasell well
beaten, player manager Ryan Kirby clearing out for a corner to
momentarily relieve the pressure on the home goal. But, when Taylor’s
corner fell at the near post, the home defence didn’t clear it and a
surprised French
smashed the ball through a melee of legs to open the scoring in the
23rd minute.
Four minutes later it looked as though Bunn was going to equalise for
the home side but pulled his shot wide of the far post with Paul Seuke
well beaten, the saving grace for skipper Bunn was the linesman’s flag
indicating the front man was in an offside position. At the other end
the lively Taylor was trying another volley that flashed just wide of
the upright to the relief of the home support.
Matt Geard needed attention in the 34th minute after making a
spectacular goal line block to thwart James Lindie from scoring, the
full back saving his own 'keeper's face after a blunder by the
normally reliable Seuke. The home fans frustration at not scoring
brought some derisive comments regarding the extent of Geard’s injury
and also took it out on the referee who allowed plenty of time for him
to receive treatment.
On 40 minutes Harlow were forced into a substitution replacing the
seemingly injured Scott Curley with Clark Akers. The first half
petered out with two bookings for the home side for individual fouls
on both full backs, Geard and Howard both needing attention from the
Physio.
Mr Magill brought to an end a niggly first half with Horsham
deservedly hanging on to their 1-0 advantage.
H/T Harlow Town 0 Horsham 1
With temperatures almost down to zero the players re-emerged for the
second half, the few loyal Hornet supporters hoping there would not be
a repeat of the last two matches where a first half goal in both games
had seen the side falter and slide to defeat with poor second half
showings allowing the opposition to steal all three points.
With the team a goal up, and playing a lot better than of late, the
hope of an early second goal could potentially wrap the game up.
Harlow, however, had different ideas by attacking from the start and
forcing a corner within a minute of the restart, the ball initially
cleared but finding its way back, presenting substitute Akers with a
half chance. Fortunately for the Hornets, his effort went high over
the bar.
Mark Taylor seemed to have been given a more forward role in the
second half, continually working the left touchline and putting some
dangerous crosses into the penalty area, one of which somehow missed
everybody and it flew past the far upright to the relief of the
Hornets defence. A two minute rest bite saw the visitors force two
corners in succession without reward and, shortly after this, Simon
Austin set the ball into Carney’s path but his shot was saved by
Hasell.
With the game becoming more end to end and the home side benefiting
from the strong breeze, the Hornets left Carney more forward to help
out the two front men. Controversy reigned in the 56th minute Harlow
conceded a throw near their corner flag. Howard took the throw that
had the keeper back pedalling, resulting in him turning it on to the
top of the bar and seemingly out for a corner. Austin ran to pick the
ball up and kicked it towards the corner flag but, unbeknown to him,
the linesman had flagged to say the ball had gone out over the goal
line. The referee, who hadn’t blown before Austin had kicked the ball
out to the corner flag, made his way over to the Hornets striker,
accused him of kicking the ball away, and time wasting, showed him a
second yellow followed by the red leaving his team mates with another
34 minutes to hold out.
Jordon Fowler tried his luck from well outside the area but his shot
failed to trouble Seuke as it went harmlessly over the bar but Harlow
pressure was beginning to tell and the Horsham players were finding it
difficult to get out of their own half, continuing to give the ball
back to the men in red and white, and you felt that sooner or later
something would have to give. Loan man Stefan Cox was booked for a
foul on Kenny Davis while skipper French put in a superb tackle to
block another Fowler shot. With a quarter of the match to go John
Maggs took off Cox and replaced him with the more experienced Gavin
Bolger but it still didn’t halt the flow towards Seuke’s goal, the
keeper had to be alert to a free kick from the dangerous Taylor and
soon after was pleased to see another Fowler effort go wide.
A rare sortie into the Harlow half should have resulted in a second
goal for the Hornets when Carney picked up a clearance on the half way
line and headed for the penalty area. With the travelling fans
expecting a 'Carney Special' he unselfishly knocked the ball into
Taylor’s path who, beating his defender, chipped the ball across the
area where it found the unmarked Davis with only the keeper to beat.
His effort though, ballooned high over the bar from only six yards.
The Harlow bench decided to inject more frontal power, bringing on
Dean Williams at the expense of Danny Chapman for the last quarter of
an hour. Horsham’s three midfielders made inroads with some slick
passing but the final ball into the box was cleared before a green and
Yellow shirt could reach it. Tom Graves was forced to concede a corner
after a teasing cross from Davis had threatened the Hornets rearguard
and Akers' header from the resulting kick went wide of the far post.
Horsham’s second change saw Steve Davies replace namesake Danny with
less than 10 minutes left but instead of putting pressure on the
opposition it was the Hornets who conceded an another corner from
which came the equaliser, Bunn
guiding his header through a mass of players and past the well beaten
Seuke giving the home side a lifeline that they might be able to
snatch all three points with 7 minutes left.
Now the pressure was really on, the mixed home support of air raid
siren and drum along with plenty of verbal encouragement was right
behind their side, urging them forward in an attempt to snatch all the
points. Both Akers and Bunn were guilty of bad misses as the game drew
to a close but there was time for another defensive replacement, Kevin
Hemsley replacing the hard working but very tired Carney for the last
3 minutes + injury time.
Akers still seemed to be the player who most wanted to get the winner.
Firstly his initial effort took a deflection for a corner, the kick
found him in space to volley well wide of the goal, then finally he
ran hard to get inside the penalty area with Geard and Graves covering
the move and shepherding the ball out for a goal kick although he did
fall over pleading for a penalty. With the game well into injury time,
a free kick by Taylor just missed Seuke’s far post going out for a
goal kick and bringing the game to a conclusion.
In the circumstances the Hornets probably felt they were unlucky to
only get a point. The Austin sending off was a major turning point but
even with ten men looked as though they could control it and, although
both sides looked weak up front, the home side squandered far more
chances than the Hornets.
NEXT MATCH: v Harrow Borough (a)
Saturday 8th March ko 3.00pm |
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