HORSHAM 2 HASTINGS UNITED 1

HORSHAM:
1.Paul Seuke 2.Stuart Myall 3.Matthew Geard 4.Eddie French 5.Andy Howard 6.Jason Ward (Salaam) 7.Jacob Mingle (Hawthorne) 8.Lewis Taylor 9.Lee Farrell 10.Steve Davies 11.Simon Austin (Rayner) Subs: 12.Tom Graves 14.Yinka Salaam 15.Mark Hawthorne 16.Ben Rayner 17.Chamal Fenelon
Scorers: Farrell (14), Taylor (90+4)

HASTINGS UNITED:
1.Lee Worgan 2.Steve Elliott (Spice) 3.Jimmy Elford 4.Rhys Wyborne 5.Nathan Russell (Sawyer) 6.Nathan Simpson (Eldridge) 7.Antonio Gonnella 8.Tim Olorunda 9.Ade Olorunda 10.Danny Leach 11.Lee Carey
Scorers: Carey (48)

reporter: Mark Wells
Photographs: John Lines

A controversial injury time penalty helped Horsham secure their first win in four attempts against a Hastings United side who can consider themselves unfortunate not to have taken at least a point from a game they dominated for long periods. After Lee Carey's excellent free-kick had cancelled out Lee Farrell's opener for the home side, three minutes in to the second half, the visitors went on to enjoy the greater possession and more composure in front of goal would surely have seen them pick up three valuable points in their quest to move away from the lower reaches of the Premier Division table.

Horsham had a different agenda to their Sussex rivals, knowing that they had to return to winning ways if they were to maintain their promotion aspirations but John Maggs' selection problems continued with no less than 5 regulars ruled out of the starting line-up. Long-term casualties Lee Carney and Nigel Brake were joined on the sidelines by Gary Charman and Ian Payne while Tom Graves' role was limited to that of substitute after picking up a knee injury during Tuesday's defeat against AFC Wimbledon. And, with Kevin Hemsley and Chamal Fenelon unavailable due to personal commitments, it was something of a makeshift side that was sent to take on Tony Dolby's Hastings. The former Tonbridge Angels boss had masterminded something of an upturn in fortunes for his new side, since his appointment last month, with impressive performances against Staines (twice), Margate, Chelmsford and AFC Hornchurch indicating that, despite their lowly position, the Arrows were sure to provide Horsham with a stern test of character.

It was the Hornets who almost drew first blood when Steve Davies, no doubt grateful for the presence of Farrell alongside him after his lone striking role during the week, earned his side a free-kick and he got on the end of Stuart Myall's precise delivery only for Lee Worgan to turn the shot round the post after just 3 minutes. The visitors survived the early corner, and some sustained possession from their hosts, before a rush of blood from Paul Seuke almost gifted them the lead. A Horsham free-kick broke down on the edge of the Hastings penalty area and, when Danny Leach's driven clearance threatened to put Ade Olorunda in the clear, Seuke came rushing ten yards out of his goal only to be left in no-man's land as the forward easily beat him to the ball but the goalkeeper stuck to his task and when Olorunda tried to skip around the retreating 'keeper inside the box, Seuke stuck out a leg to divert the ball to safety.

Horsham's 3 match goalless run had equalled the worst sequence in John Maggs' Horsham career but it was brought to a timely end on 14 minutes with a 'route one' goal that was simple in design but classic in it's execution. A spell of pressure from Hastings had seen the Hornets pinned down near their own corner flag but Andy Howard's hefty clearance sent Farrell scampering clear of Jimmy Elford before expertly lobbing the advancing Worgan from 25 yards to move in to double figures for the season. Two minutes later, Jacob Mingle drove wide at the end of a patient build up and Myall saw his shot blocked by Nathan Russell as the home side looked to establish a healthy advantage.

Seuke's decent punch cleared Carey's dangerous looking cross and Antonio Gonnella was pulled up for a two footed lunge on Jason Ward that, surprisingly in the current climate, saw the diminutive midfielder escape a caution from referee Robinson and, but for some good defensive work from Matt Geard, Gonnella may have hurt more than Ward's shins when he looked to have fastened on to Olorunda's through pass in sight of Seuke's goal.

The complexion of the game turned in the 26th minute when the limping Mingle was led from the pitch to be replaced by Mark Hawthorne to add to Maggs' injury woes. Despite Hawthorne's wealth of experience and know-how, the talented Mingle's presence was sorely missed during the remainder of the game as Horsham's grip on the midfield gradually diminished. In fact, they were almost punished immediately when, within seconds of the substitution, Olorunda turned Howard in the box and turned the ball across the face of goal where Myall was forced in to a hasty clearance.

The powerful Hastings centre-forward was proving a handful for the Horsham defence and when Hawthorne was dispossessed, midway inside the Hastings half, a quick ball out of defence sent Olorunda on his way. Turning French inside and out, only Seuke's quick reactions prevented a certain goal as the big 'keeper narrowed the angle, forcing the Arrows man to shoot wide of the near post. It was turning in to something of a personal duel between the two players when, in Hastings' next attack, Olorunda was thwarted by a superb reaction save from close range with Seuke unaware that the linesman's flag was already raised for offside.

Hawthorne reacted angrily to a challenge by Olorunda's older brother, Tim, prompting Mr Robinson's intervention with the match suffering an untidy spell. Taylor tried to lift the crowd with a determined 70 yard run that earned his side a corner but it came to nought and the referee angered the Hastings contingent with a number of hasty free-kick decisions where he might have been better advised to have played the advantage. There was a hint of an opening as the first half drew to a close when Davies' vision picked out Farrell but the goalscorers' touch was too heavy and the ball fell kindly for Worgan to collect on the edge of his area.

H/T Horsham 1 Hastings United 0

It took Hastings just 3 minutes of the second period to draw level when Hawthorne clumsily brought down Carey, some 20 yards from goal, and the former Bognor man picked himself up to curl the free-kick delightfully in to the bottom corner of the net for a deserved equaliser. Hastings had their tails up and, with Horsham's metaphorically between their own legs, the visitors launched another attack that saw Danny Leach rattle the frame of Seuke's goal with a speculative cross-shot from wide on the right.

The home side were struggling to sustain any decent possession and they survived a strong penalty appeal when Leach went to ground under Geard's ill-judged challenge. Gonnella fired a hopeful effort high and wide, Seuke did well to save a snapshot from Leach and Gonnella couldn't provide the required accuracy when he stole in between Geard and Austin to reach Nathan Simpson's cross.

Having been under the cosh for most of the second half, Horsham almost regained the lead in the 66th minute. A neat sidestep from Taylor drew the foul from Steve Elliott and, as Myall and Geard considered their options from the subsequent free-kick, Myall strode up to clip a fabulous shot over the defensive wall that beat Worgan but not the post, rebounding off the 'keeper's right-hand upright before being hacked away to safety. Incredibly, Myall was given a second chance when, just a minute later, Davies was upended by Nathan Russell in an identical position but the full-back was unable to repeat the trick, sending the ball in to the crowd gathered behind the goal.

With 20 minutes remaining, Maggs sent on Ben Rayner for Austin and, with Ward requiring treatment after colliding with Worgan, it wasn't long before he too was withdrawn, Yinka Salaam taking his place, and Hastings made their first substitution of the game when Elliott was replaced by Danny Spice.

Slowly, Horsham were beginning to regain their earlier grip on the game and, with the help of several free-kicks, were able to stifle their opponents' rhythmn. But a throw-in for the hosts almost proved their undoing when Myall's long delivery in to the box was cleared and a slip by French saw Leach race away but the skipper was able to get back to stick a foot in and help divert the goalbound shot over the top. A quick break from Tim Olorunda, down the Hastings right, saw him fire in a cross that flew unhindered along the edge of Seuke's six yard box and Gonnella was just as close, fizzing a right-foot effort past the post, as the visitors went all out for a late winner.

French was booked for bringing down Simpson on the halfway line, the only booking administered by Mr Robinson throughout the 90 minutes, before Dolby made his next, and unintentionally match-winning, substitution with the game entering injury time. Russell Eldridge, a former defender with Horsham YMCA, was sent on in place of Simpson presumably with instructions to keep things tight at the back and to see out whatever remained of the time added on by the match officials. Horsham mounted one final attack and, when the tireless Davies was brought down on the edge of the penalty area, it gave Myall the chance of delivering a free-kick in to the heart of the danger zone. However, with just a one man 'wall' to beat, Myall's attempted cross hit Eldridge's flailing arm and both referee and linesman were united in the award of a penalty kick and Taylor showed ice cool nerves to step up to send Worgan the wrong way from the spot.

The restart was delayed to enable Frankie Sawyer to enter the fray and Gonnella, knowing time was all but up, tried the spectacular with a shot from the halfway line but it went harmlessly wide and the points were Horsham's.

NEXT MATCH: v AFC Hornchurch (a) Tuesday 19th February ko 7.45pm