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Horsham

AFC Hornchurch

HORSHAM 0 HORNCHURCH O
Horsham no longer play at Horsham, but have moved thirty miles to Worthing. They lay on a coach for each match, at just £3 per trip. And at precisely 2.03 pm said coach rolled up at the ground, and out trooped – just fourteen people. The rest of the crowd seemed to be made up of Urchins, as per normal, and a host of Worthing vice presidents, plus Sophie the dog, who attends all Horsham matches. Not to forget the Horsham mascot, Horsham are nicknamed the Hornets, so why do they have a bee for their mascot?

Bright sunshine greeted the Urchins as they took the field, and the temperature was a pleasantly mild four degrees, with an equally pleasant northerly gale howling downfield in Horsham’s favour. Urchins played in all red, a very clever move, as this is the colours of Worthing FC, which meant that all the local support was for the Urchins.

Horsham kicked off, towards the seaward end of the ground, with seagulls and albatrosses wheeling overhead – but no penguins. Urchins started promisingly, Paul Shave winning the ball, and slotting it neatly through to Mark Janney, and forward to Kris Lee, but the ball ran out of play on the hard, uneven surface. Horsham came forward, Darrell touching back to Charman, whose excellent shot was tipped over by Dale Brightly for a corner, which Eldridge took and Jean-Michel Sigere headed wide. Yes, it is the ex-Urchin’s Jean-Michel. When Page intercepted Style’s through ball, he sent it back up Eldridge, whose first time volley almost caught Dale by surprise and the ball bounced back off Dale to Farrell, but Brightly recovered well to save Farrell’s point blank follow up shot.

Urchins went close when Tomlinson’s long free kick was headed back by McFarlane to Kris Lee, whose own header was well held by Tolfrey. Back came Horsham, with Sigere playing the ball on to Farrell, for Brightly to make an excellent diving save from the goal bound shot. Horsham then lost Gary Charman, who was taken to hospital with what turned out to be badly bruised ribs, following a collision with Lee Brown, and after a delay of some five minutes, play resumed with a free kick which cannoned back out off the wall of defenders.

Donny Barnard took a quick throw in and found Styles, who chipped it on over the defender and out to Tomlinson. Andy played the ball back to Dean Green, whose shot beat Tolfrey but swerved wide of the post. A long range shot from Lee Brown went wide a couple of minutes later, before Horsham, urged on by their faithful fourteen, had their best spell of the half. Haddow out to Eldridge, whose cross was headed away by Goodfellow for a corner. Eldridge took the corner and Goodfellow cleared, up to Kris Lee, on to Tomlinson and out to Lee Brown, whose centre was headed out by Page. A long range shot by Mingle caused no problems for Dale. Urchins then won a free kick following what can best be described as a mistimed tackle by Acheampong on Paul Shave. The referee waved his yellow card, and Tomlinson floated the free kick over to McFarlane whose header went narrowly past the post.

Shortly afterwards, Paul Shave was booked for an innocuous tackle and McFarlane headed the free kick away, only as far as Farrell, ten yards outside the area, and Farrell turned sharply, and Brightly made an excellent save from the forthcoming shot.

Half time, and Sophie the dog went for her bonio, the wind dropped noticeably, and the main topic of conversation was why only three minutes stoppage time was added on. Two substitutions at the interval, Simon Parker and Frank Curley on for Paul Shave and Lee Brown. Horsham began well, with a free kick by Eldridge which Brightly cleared, and Barnard quickly played the ball out to Tomlinson, and thence on to Kris Lee, on to Janney and then to Simon Parker and back to Janney, who was unable to get his shot in with three defenders swarming all around. Sigere twice put centres way behind the goal, and the toll of balls in gardens began to rise rapidly. Jim McFarlane headed away from an Eldridge free kick, to concede a corner, which Eldridge took, and Donny Barnard headed away. Eldridge played it back in and Mark Goodfellow headed away this time.

Urchins were treated to some exuberant tackling from the home side, and first Andy Tomlinson, and then Frankie Curley needed lengthy treatment, with the Horsham fourteen screaming for the referee to get them off the pitch. Both went off, and the announcer wrongly announced, in the way that announcers announce these sort of things, that Billy Coyne was replacing Frank Curley – in fact it was Tommo who limped off.

Carey pumped a long ball up field and Brightly gathered, but play was again held up, this time for Donny Barnard. This was followed by Frankie Curley needing treatment following a tackle by Mingle. The referee waited patiently for Michelle to get Frankie to his feet, and then booked Curley and awarded Horsham a free kick, when most thought that the decision should have been the other way.

Urchins began to get on top, and Simon Parker won the ball on the left to give Kris Lee and opening. Kris cut inside and his vicious shot skimmed the post. Kris Lee then almost found a route through, but was tackled by Knee, and it was time once again for Michelle to run on.

A Dean Green cross was played straight back to him, and he in turn put the ball back to Curley, who found Coyne on the other side of the pitch, back to Green, on to Lee, and out to Parker, who cut in and hammered his shot past Tolfrey. The ball hit the post, rolled across the goal and Janney turned it back to Green, whose shot was blocked by Page. At the other end Sigere made a lengthy run and his cross found Mingle, whose shot was well saved by Brightly. Michelle came on yet again, Frank Curley once again the victim, and for a time it looked as if Frankie would have to stay off, but he eventually resumed after further treatment behind the goal.

Carey found plenty of space on the right, with Coyne drawn out of position to cover for Curley, still off the field, and the ball was played to Sigere, who turned and shot, Brightly saving well. Urchins were temporarily forced back, but Billy Coyne soon cleared the lines, with a massive throw in from near his own corner flag, which ended up close to the half way line. Urchins, with Frankie back on the field, launched everyone forward. Curley was fouled, and Janney’s free kick found Jim McFarlane, whose header was just wide. With Urchins storming forward a Goodfellow free kick reached Kris Lee, who cut inside from the left and hammered his shot just a fraction wide. Then, to everyone’s surprise, the final whistle went, with just three minutes added on, when there had been over eight minutes of stoppages, all for injuries to Hornchurch players, with Urchins physio, Michelle, being called on six times in the second half.

Horsham

AFC Hornchurch